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* Find an article, a video, and a chart that is relevant to this unit.
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Blah blah blah - Gay Marriage Legalized

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Supreme Court Recognizes Gay Marriage Nationwide

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The Supreme Court recognized gay marriages nationwide, completing a 19-year arc toward more just legal treatment of gays and lesbians.

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Blah Blah Blah - Popular Third Parties

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Third parties have an interesting history in American politics. Historically, every major party started out as some sort of underdog and rose to the top of the heap. Today, we have more choices than ever when we go to the ballot box, which brings up the question: which third party fits you best?

Well, if you want to vote for a winning candidate, probably none of them. But their success in running their own candidates doesn't make them less interesting - and it certainly doesn't keep them from having major effects on national elections, as the election of George W. Bush in 2000 (and arguably, the election of Bill Clinton in 1992) taught us all.

Here are some of America's favorite, best, and weirdest third parties that you can join today.

10. America First Party

The history of the America First Party is tied to the history of the Reform Party. Begun in 2002 by a group of people who supported Pat Buchanan's run for the President in 2000 on the Reform Party ticket, the America First Party represents a platform of fairly typical hard-right values, both economically and socially, while also espousing a far more isolationist tone than other conservative parties like the Republicans.

They support smaller government, tax cuts, gun rights, energy independence, and American sovereignty. They're pro-life, believe America has and should maintain Christian roots in the public square, and basically oppose progressiveness on about 95% of issues. They're also very much in favor of limiting America's involvement in foreign aid, ending NAFTA and CAFTA and other free trade agreements, opposed to wars in foreign countries, and believe in repurposing the military from Iraq and Afghanistan to protect the border from illegal immigrants. They've also fought against fringe individuals that attempted to introduce racist elements into the party. In other words: they're pretty much in line with the exact platform that Pat Buchanan ran on in 2000 and continues to push to this day.

Which makes it very interesting that Pat himself is not a member of the Party, having returned to the Republican party after a 5-year absence in 2004. But that doesn't keep him from selling his books through the party's website, specially autographed for the party's use.

To date, they've never run a Presidential candidate (endorsing the Constitution Party in 2004 and 2008, along with Libertarian Bob Barr in 2008) and haven't had any party members elected as a member of the party.

9. Communist Party USA

There's a lot of debate today about the benefits and detriments about socialism and communism, but most people probably don't realize that the US has had its own collection of Red parties for nearly a century. The earliest one was the Socialist Labor Party, which was a pretty powerful little party in its day, but split in different directions in 1919 with the rise of Vladimir Lenin in Russia, who invited the leftists to join the Communist International Party. This actually didn't work very well, since it ignited the first Red Scare of the late teens and early '20s, forcing the various factions underground.

Rising again in the mid-20's, the Communist Party USA never had a chance in any kind of election. In 1928, they faced down against the seemingly-unbeatable Republican Party in the midst of the Roaring 20's, and for the next 5 elections after that, they faced down the juggernaut of the Democrat Party with FDR and Harry Truman. Then, of course, you have the 1-2 punch of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Army-McCarthy Hearings in the US Senate.

By then, much attention had been turned to the fact that the CPUSA was pretty much the puppet arm of and often spied for America's greatest enemy: the Soviet Union. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the CPUSA has struggled to find an identity without the support of its former ally.

Most of the influence of the CPUSA can be seen in history rather than in political success. They've never had any real success in elections, local or national, however, their close alliances with labor unions is still felt to this day, and their child parties formed at later dates have been instrumental in both the anti-war movement and the radical elements of the Civil Rights movement, such as the Black Panthers and the later Black Radical Congress.

8. Marijuana Party

Remember the Prohibition Party? Well, say hello to their polar opposite: the Marijuana Party. Formed in 2002 by a woman from Alabama who'd been arrested for misdemeanor pot possession, the Party's platform is pretty basic: legalize pot, end the drug war, and refocus law enforcement dollars on combating violent crime. They don't talk much about things like foreign affairs or social issues. Just weed.

Unsurprisingly for a single-issue party, they've not done very well. They've mostly backed Libertarian candidates and haven't really expanded beyond a loose collection of people who want Americans to have the legal right to toke up. They've had no luck in the few races they've run candidates in, and their own founder, Loretta Nall, had zero luck running for governor of Alabama as a Libertarian, receiving 0.02% of the statewide vote.

7. Workers World Party

The Workers World Party got its start in the late 50's by declaring themselves the true descendants of Trotskyist socialism, not like those filthy folks in the Socialist Workers Party.

For the record, the real difference between all the flavors of socialism / communism is in how the power within the state is balanced, and whether that balance is achieved through a democratic process or through a committee-based process or through state control. There's a lot of finer points that go along with it, but for most Americans, that's the best, most simple explanation to start the discussion.

Meanwhile, the Workers World Party hasn't been so successful in election politics as much as it has been in influence and attention-grabbing stunts and intra-party splits. They've been very vocal in their support of the North Korean government and in their opposition to the Vietnam War. In recent years, they helped to found the ANSWER Coalition in opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that group has now gone with a split-off group called the Party for Socialism and Liberation, whose politics are pretty much a carbon copy of the WWP.

6. Pirate Party

Don't sign up for the Pirate Party if you're looking for peglegs and Johnny Depp slurring all over the place. This party has absolutely nothing to do with sailing the seven seas, and everything to do with a libertarian ethic, equality, and reforming intellectual property laws. They've not gone too far into setting up a full platform, but their core values favor the open exchange of ideas and tools, transparency, individual privacy, equality, and merit-based reward.

Started in 2006 as an extension of the Swedish Pirate Party, the US Pirate Party isn't a fan of traditional left-right politics, instead favoring the hacker ethic put into political practice. Their initial purpose was to provide support for the free distribution of materials over the BitTorrent filesharing network and to fight for changes to copyright and trademark laws. Since then, they've evolved their platform into a more traditional format, still heavily focusing on issues like freedom of information, civil liberties, personal privacy, and opposition to monopolies.

Internationally, the Pirate Party has seen some significant success, winning seats in the European Parliament. Locally in the US, the story isn't quite as successful, with no wins in elections and ballot access in less than half of the states.

5. Modern Whigs

One of the big arguments in American politics is whether there is a place for a true middle-ground party to represent the moderates who don't find a consistent home in either the Republican or Democrat parties. The Modern Whigs are seeking to fill that void.

The original Whig Party was one of the foundational elements of the Second Party System in the 2nd quarter of the 1800's, when the Democratic-Republicans split into the Jacksonian Democrats and the National Republicans, led by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. The Whigs formed from the ashes of the National Republicans and formed a powerhouse of a party until they just kinda fell apart around 1850 or so, when Millard Fillmore took the Presidency from the recently deceased Zachary Taylor. They slowly dissolved over the next few years, ultimately reforming in the Republican Party.

Begun in 2008 by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Modern Whigs believed that neither party was fulfilling their obligations to the American people, and sought to fill the void being created by the polarization of the two major parties. Their platform is centrist, and based in pragmatism and what they believe is common sense. The best description we can come up with is that they're slightly libertarian centrists that avoid the populism of earlier middle-ground third parties.

While the Modern Whigs haven't been as successful on the national or state levels as the original Whigs, they have had some success in local elections.

4. Reform Party

The Reform Party formed in 1995 as a reaction to Ross Perot's unsuccessful but notable run for the Presidency in 1992, when he was the most successful third party candidate since Teddy Roosevelt's run on the Progressive / Bull Moose ticket in 1912. Running Perot in 1996 was a natural flow for the party, who was shut out of the debates between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole (he made up for it via infomercials). The Party began to faction afterwards, over time breaking off groups like the American Reform Party, various Independence Parties, and the aforementioned America First Party.

The 2002 split with the AFP came about when the party decided to back Pat Buchanan over former Natural Law perennial candidate John Hagelin. Going with such a solid conservative angered party members, and so the Buchanan branch broke away, taking a lot of members and money with them. The RPUSA has been rebuilding from this split since 2002, barely cracking the public consciousness in Presidential Elections.

Those who criticize the idea of the place for a third party in the United States often point to the failure of the Reform Party to maintain its significance as a good model of why those parties are doomed to fail. Here's a party that's built on many of the issues that centrists find appealing: fiscal conservatism and social liberalism, with a strong belief in America's uniqueness and exceptionalism - and since Ross Perot ran, it has consistently flopped in national elections as centrists ultimately voted for either Republicans or Democrats, probably because the party wasn't truly a centrist party as much as it was a party that appealed to varying extremes of the two major parties.

That's not to say there hasn't been some success, most notably in the form of Jesse Ventura as governor of Minnesota for a single term, who appointed Reformer Dean Barkley to serve out the remaining term of Senator Paul Wellstone, who had died in a plane crash. Originally, Ventura wasn't going to appoint a replacement for Wellstone, but when his funeral was turned into a political rally, Ventura became so disgusted that he made the appointment anyway, providing Republicans a crucial vote in favor of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The party also continues to attract disaffected politicians from the two major parties, including former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer and former Ambassador Alan Keyes.

3. Constitution Party

People who think that Republicans are too conservative and call George Bush the most conservative President in the history of the United States are usually ignorant of the political spectrum and American history, and are usually wetting themselves by the time they finish reading the platform of the Constitution Party.

Started in 1991 as the US Taxpayers' Party, these guys are, by far, the most conservative and theocratic party in the United States. Along with supporting typical hard-right conservative issues like an absolute originalist interpretation of the Constitution, ending illegal immigration, opposition to abortion and gay marriage, support for the death penalty, and a strong federal government, they also support a few theories most would consider fringe, like withdrawal from nearly all foreign relations and wars, replacing the income tax with an excise tariff, and repealing the direct election of Senators under the 17th Amendment.

Oh - and they want to, under law, declare Jesus Christ the Ruler of the Universe and these United States.

They've not had too much success in national elections, with their maximum result being Howard Philips receiving 0.19% of the vote in 1996's race, followed closely by Pastor Chuck Baldwin in 2012 with 0.14% of the vote. On the state level, they've done a pretty good job in attracting big-name candidates, but not in winning races. New Hampshire Senator, Bob Smith, was a member of the Party for a month in 1999 when he failed to catch any interest from the GOP for their nomination for the Presidency, and then followed up with a failure to gain any ground for the Constitution Party's nomination (thanks, apparently, to the New World Order), causing him to switch again to being Independent before losing his seat to John Sununu in 2002. Former Ambassador Alan Keyes has sought their nomination for the Presidency. In Colorado, former GOP Representative Tom Tancredo ran for the Governorship on the Constitution Party Ticket and got enough votes to come in 2nd in the race, more than tripling the numbers of the 3rd place GOP candidate.

2. Green Party

The Greens are an interesting group, and are a near-total antithesis to the Constitution Party. Strongly left-wing and just as populist, the Green Party has made its influence felt in American Politics without winning a single Federal election.

The Green Party started in the 1980's as an extension of the eco-socialist West German Die Grünen party. The original purpose was baked in the Nuclear Age: opposition to the growing nuclear stalemate between the US and USSR, opposition to nuclear power and industrialization, a desire for government to address environmental issues like pollution, and general opposition to the NATO military buildup. Over time, these positions evolved into a solid left-wing populist belief system that spread around the globe, sparking the formation of Green Parties in other countries, including in the United States.

Their current positions are pretty much what you'd expect from a far left-wing party: environmentalism, social justice, opposition to violence, and a socialist approach to democracy, economics, domestic issues, and personal and corporate responsibility.

Their effectiveness on the campaign trail has been pretty far-reaching. On the Federal level, while they've never won a single electoral vote, they did steal enough liberal votes away from Al Gore in 2000 to quite possibly cost him the election, and became the rare American third party to achieve greater than a 1% turnout at the ballot box. At the state level, they've had the occasional win for a state legislature seat, but their greatest success has come at the municipal level, where they've won mayorships and city council seats at a fairly impressive rate for a third party. In fact, four towns in the US (Fairfax California, Arcata California, Sebastopol California, and New Paltz New York) currently have Green Party majorities on their city councils.

1. Libertarian Party

If there's a third party that's been waiting in the wings to take the stage in American politics, it's the Libertarian Party. Started in 1972 with the borrowed slogan "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch", they gained immediate attention when a Republican Elector pledged to Richard Nixon changed his vote to the Libertarian Party ticket of John Hospers and Theodora Nathan, casting the first electoral vote for a woman on a Presidential ticket in American history.

Over the years, their influence would wax and wane as they fought to gain ballot access in all 50 states and find candidates to run. They found them in all sorts of places, from airline pilots to former Republican Congressman Ron Paul (who later switched his membership back to the GOP and got re-elected to the US House, and later, twice, ran for President on the GOP ticket).

Their influence would be fairly minimal, however, until 2009, when the Tea Party movement grew in influence in opposition to the agenda of President Barack Obama and the supermajority Democrat-controlled Congress. The Libertarians worked within the movement and gained back much of the support they'd lost over the 90's and 2000's.

The politics of the Libertarian Party are often viewed as hard right-wing, but this is not accurate. If anything, they are as government-minimalist as you can possibly get without going full-on anarchist. They favor a hands-off, absolute free-market approach to the economy, absolutely no government involvement or influence in personal matters, and no foreign aid or intervention unless absolutely, 1000% necessary. Ayn Rand wrote "Atlas Shrugged", but the Libertarians expanded on it (ironically, since Rand herself hated the Libertarian Party, fearing their rule would lead to anarchism, which would eventually lead to collectivism, which she was heavily opposed to).

From an electoral point of view, the Libertarian Party has probably been more successful than any current third party. They've reached the magic 1% level in 2 elections (1980 and 2012) and are the only third party since 1972 to get an electoral vote. They're also the only one to have ballot access in all 50 states. They've won hundreds of elections to state and municipal seats and, as of today, 149 Libertarians are currently serving around the country (mostly in city councils).

Other Articles you Might Like

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Top 10 Political Third Parties Currently Active in the United States

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Third parties have an interesting history in American politics. Historically, every major party started out as some sort of underdog and rose to the top of the heap. Today, we have more choices than ever when we go to the ballot box, which brings up the question: which third party fits you best?

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Blah Blah Blah - Loving vs Virginia

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What Is Miscegenation?

The Loving case was a challenge to centuries of American laws banning miscegenation, i.e., any marriage or interbreeding among different races. Restrictions on miscegenation existed as early as the colonial era, and of the 50 U.S. states, all but nine states had a law against the practice at some point in their history.

Early attempts to dispute race-based marriage bans in court met with little success. One of the first and most noteworthy cases was 1883's Pace v. Alabama, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an Alabama anti-miscegenation law was constitutional because it punished Black people and white people equally. In 1888, meanwhile, the high court ruled that states had the authority to regulate marriage.

By the 1950s, more than half the states in the Union-including every state in the South-still had laws restricting marriage by racial classifications. In Virginia, interracial marriage was illegal under 1924's Racial Integrity Act. Those who violated the law risked anywhere from one to five years in a state penitentiary.

Richard and Mildred Loving

The central figures in Loving v. Virginia were Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, a couple from the town of Central Point in Caroline County, Virginia.

Richard, a white construction worker, and Mildred, a woman of mixed Black and Native American ancestry, were longtime friends who had fallen in love. In June 1958, they exchanged wedding vows in Washington, D.C., where interracial marriage was legal, and then returned home to Virginia.

On July 11, 1958, just five weeks after their wedding, the Lovings were woken in their bed at about 2:00 a.m. and arrested by the local sheriff. Richard and Mildred were indicted on charges of violating Virginia's anti-miscegenation law, which deemed interracial marriages a felony.

When the couple pleaded guilty the following year, Judge Leon M. Bazile sentenced them to one year in prison, but suspended the sentence on the condition that they would leave Virginia and not return together for a period of 25 years.

Richard and Mildred Loving's Children

Following their court case, the Lovings were forced to leave Virginia and relocate to Washington, D.C. The couple lived in exile in the nation's capital for several years and raised three children-sons Sidney and Donald and a daughter, Peggy-but they longed to return to their hometown.

In 1963, a desperate Mildred Loving wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy asking for assistance. Kennedy referred the Lovings to the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU), which agreed to take their case.

Loving v. Virginia

The Lovings began their legal battle in November 1963. With the aid of Bernard Cohen and Philip Hirschkop, two ACLU young lawyers, the couple filed a motion asking for Judge Bazile to vacate their conviction and set aside their sentences.

When Bazile refused, Cohen and Hirschkop took the case to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, which also upheld the original ruling. Following another appeal, the case made its way to the United States Supreme Court in April 1967.

During oral arguments before the Supreme Court, Virginia's Assistant Attorney General Robert D. McIlwaine III defended the constitutionality of his state's anti-miscegenation law and compared it to similar regulations against incest and polygamy. Cohen and Hirschkop, meanwhile, argued the Virginia statute was illegal under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees all citizens due process and equal protection under the law.

During one exchange, Hirschkop stated that Virginia's interracial marriage law and others like it were rooted in racism and white supremacy. "These are not health and welfare laws," he argued. "These are slavery laws, pure and simple."

Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court announced its ruling in Loving v. Virginia on June 12, 1967. In a unanimous decision, the justices found that Virginia's interracial marriage law violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

"Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state," Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote.

The landmark ruling not only overturned the Lovings' 1958 criminal conviction, it also struck down existing laws against interracial marriage in 16 U.S. states including Virginia.

What Happened to the Lovings?

The Lovings had lived secretly on a Virginia farm for much of their legal battle, but after the Supreme Court decision, they returned to the town of Central Point to raise their three children.

Richard Loving was killed in 1975 when a drunk driver in Caroline County struck the couple's car. Mildred survived the crash and went on to spend the rest of her life in Central Point. She died in 2008, having never remarried.

Legacy of Loving v. Virginia

Loving v. Virginia is considered one of the most significant legal decisions of the civil rights era. By declaring Virginia's anti-miscegenation law unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ended prohibitions on interracial marriage and dealt a major blow to segregation.

Despite the court's decision, however, some states were slow to alter their laws. The last state to officially accept the ruling was Alabama, which only removed an anti-miscegenation statute from its state constitution in 2000.

In addition to its implications for interracial marriage, Loving v. Virginia was also invoked in subsequent court cases concerning same-sex marriage.

In 2015, for example, Justice Anthony Kennedy cited the Loving case in his opinion on the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage across the United States.

On December 13, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law. The law requires that individual states recognize same-sex and interracial marriages that were lawfully performed in other states.

June 12-the anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision-is now commemorated each year as "Loving Day," a holiday celebrating multiracial families.

Sources

Tell the Court I Love My Wife: Race, Marriage, and Law-an American History. By Peter Wallenstein.
Loving v. Virginia. Encyclopedia Virginia.
Loving v. Virginia. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.
Law and the Politics of Marriage: Loving v. Virginia After 30 Years Introduction. Robert A. Destro.
What You Didn't Know About Loving v. Virginia. Time Magazine.

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Loving v. Virginia: 1967 & Supreme Court Case | HISTORY

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Loving v. Virginia was a 1967 Supreme Court case in which the court's ruling struck down state laws banning interracial marriage throughout the United States.

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Blah blah blah - Birth of Two Party System

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Blah blah blah - Changes in Cuba

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President Raul Castro brought gradual but significant changes to Cuba in his 10 years as head of state:

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CELLPHONES: The government allowed ordinary Cubans to have personal cellphones for the first time in 2008. Until then, only foreigners and key government officials were allowed to have cellphones, although thousands of residents had obtained mobile phones through the black market and got foreigners to lend their names to service contracts. Cellphones are now key to people's everyday lives on the island as they are in much of the rest of the world.

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RESORT HOTELS: Also in 2008, the government lifted its prohibition on Cubans staying at the island's resort hotels.

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DISTRIBUTION OF VACANT LAND: Seeking to increase food production, Castro began a large-scale program in 2008 to distribute large amounts of vacant or unused land for private farmers to grow coffee, tobacco and other crops. It was a significant move in a country where the state had seized private lands after toppling dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. As of last August, the government says it has distributed nearly 5 million acres to about 220,000 farmers.

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PRIVATE ENTERPRISE: Cuba began allowing individuals to operate small- and medium-size private businesses in 2010, though the state remained the dominant force in the economy. Spare rooms became rental homes and boutique hotels, backyard cafes became elegant restaurants and bustling nightclubs, backed with capital from Cubans abroad. About 600,000 people have licenses to work in the private sector. In August, the government suspended new licenses for certain businesses, including bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants, pending the issuance of still-pending new regulations.

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REAL ESTATE: For the first time since the revolution, the government in 2011 allowed its citizens to buy and sell real estate openly, bequeath property to relatives without restriction and avoid forfeiting their homes for leaving Cuba. Anyone born in Cuba can buy property, including exiles if they re-establish legal residency. Foreigners are still barred from buying land but in a separate reform the government allowed foreign investors to lease government land for up to 99 years.

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LEGAL MIGRATION: In 2013, Castro ended restrictions on travel, allowing Cubans for the first time in decades to leave the island without permission. Tens of thousands of people have taken advantage of the new freedom to visit relatives abroad and return with goods they cannot buy at home.

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RELATIONS WITH U.S..: Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to restore diplomatic relations in 2014, after five decades of hostility. Both nations opened embassies and began negotiations on a wide range of issues. President Donald Trump said he would take a harder line toward Cuba but so far has imposed only a minor rollback of restrictions on travel to the island.

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Economic changes in Cuba under President Raul Castro

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President Raul Castro brought gradual but significant changes to Cuba in his 10 years as head of state: ___ CELLPHONES: The government allowed ordinary Cubans to have personal cellphones for the first time in 2008.

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IMF: Venezuela's inflation to hit 1,000,000%

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Blah blah blah - Interest Rate Hikes

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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its key interest rate for the fourth time this year but signaled fewer rate hikes in 2019 than it had forecast.

Americans with credit cards and other short-term loans will soon notice the increase, though banks typically take longer to raise interest rates for savers.

The hike came amid criticism from President Donald Trump, signs of an economic slowdown, and stock-market volatility.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate as had been widely anticipated but signaled fewer rate hikes in 2019 than it had forecast.

Ahead of the announcement, the Fed was expected to set the tone for how it would handle an expected slowdown in economic growth next year, unprecedented political pressure from President Donald Trump, and investors who are nervous about the gradual removal of easy monetary policy.

The central bank's Federal Open Market Committee unanimously voted to raise the fed funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%. This will lift the benchmark interest rate to its highest level since early 2008, when the Fed was cutting rates amid the Great Recession. Wednesday's decision was the ninth since the Fed started raising rates in December 2015.

Americans with credit cards and other short-term loans will soon notice the increase, but banks typically take longer to raise interest rates for savers.

The FOMC now projects that it will raise rates just twice next year, down from its September forecast for three increases. It also nudged down its expectation for gross-domestic-product growth in 2019 by 0.2 percentage points to 2.3%.
Read more: We interviewed Wall Street's 8 top-performing investors to get their best ideas for 2019
Wednesday's rate hike came amid pushback from investors and President Donald Trump, who is concerned that higher borrowing costs will slow the economy. After repeated calls for the Fed to slow rate hikes, Trump tweeted Tuesday, at the start of the two-day policy meeting, that the central bank should "feel the market" and not pay attention to "meaningless numbers."

The stakes are higher for the Fed not just because Trump is on its tail but amid signs the US economy is indeed slowing down. Since the Fed most recently raised rates, in September, the housing market has continued to weaken and business investment has softened. Also, the forward-looking stock market has slumped by more than 10% from recent highs into a correction, and rates traders have priced in a slower path of rate hikes for the Fed.

That's why the Fed's signals about monetary policy in 2019 were all-important Wednesday, starting with the press release. In it, the FOMC said it "judges" that gradual rate hikes would be forthcoming, tweaked from language that had said it "expects" rate hikes.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will have the opportunity to unpack any wording changes during his press conference, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET. Starting in January, he will hold press conferences after every meeting and not just once a quarter. That's a development some economists expect to introduce more market volatility because the Fed will become more unpredictable.
Read more: Goldman Sachs unveils its best trade to profit from an unexpected move from the Fed in 2019
The Fed is poised to walk a tightrope as it approaches the end of both this expansion and the accommodative monetary policy that juiced the economy. Sounding too optimistic could further tighten financial conditions and hurt the economy. But if the Fed is too dovish, the interpretation could be that the economy is on the rocks.

Here's the Fed's full statement:

"Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in November indicates that the labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising at a strong rate. Job gains have been strong, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Household spending has continued to grow strongly, while growth of business fixed investment has moderated from its rapid pace earlier in the year. On a 12-month basis, both overall inflation and inflation for items other than food and energy remain near 2 percent. Indicators of longer-term inflation expectations are little changed, on balance.

"Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee judges that some further gradual increases in the target range for the federal funds rate will be consistent with sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee's symmetric 2 percent objective over the medium term. The Committee judges that risks to the economic outlook are roughly balanced, but will continue to monitor global economic and financial developments and assess their implications for the economic outlook.

"In view of realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 2-1/4 to 2‑1/2 percent.

"In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including measures of labor market conditions, indicators of inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and readings on financial and international developments.

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Jerome H. Powell, Chairman; John C. Williams, Vice Chairman; Thomas I. Barkin; Raphael W. Bostic; Michelle W. Bowman; Lael Brainard; Richard H. Clarida; Mary C. Daly; Loretta J. Mester; and Randal K. Quarles."

Read more:
The world's most accurate economic forecaster pinpoints the biggest risks investors will face in 2019 - and explains how they can prepare 'It ends next year': What Wall Street's biggest firms are forecasting for the stock market in 2019, and where they say you should put your money We interviewed Wall Street's 8 top-performing investors to get their secrets for success - and their best ideas for 2019 BANK OF AMERICA: A bubble in the stock market is bursting - and its demise marks a significant regime change for investors

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Fed raises interest rates amid fierce pushback from Trump, signals fewer hikes in 2019

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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its key interest rate for the fourth time this year but signaled fewer rate hikes in 2019 than it had forecast. Americans with credit cards and other short-term loans will soon notice the increase, though banks typically take longer to raise interest rates for savers.

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Blah blah blah - Copper trade between USA & China

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What copper reveals about the state of US-China trade talks

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Blah blah blah - Trends in Homebuilding

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Top 10 Trends for New Home Construction and Renovations in 2018 and Beyond

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With 2017 and its trends (mostly) behind us, let's look at what's hot for renovations and new home construction in 2018. It seems that every New Year brings with it a new set of trends that help lead the tastes of homeowners across the nation, and 2018 is no different.

From embracing the open concept design to more tactile textures with interiors - we've got the top 10 trends for 2018 right here.

1) Copper gutters

Let's begin with a bold and decadent trend for 2018 - copper gutters! Want to keep it classy? Have copper gutters installed. There is definitely a premium to pay for this upgrade, but homeowners love the class, style, uniqueness and durability of copper adorning their homes. Whether it's new construction or a renovation project, installing copper gutters adds drama to an area of the home that rarely gets much attention.

2) Energy savings

Everyone can embrace saving a few dollars here and there, especially when it comes to utilities. The energy efficient focus in 2018 will extend to everything from appliances to materials used to build an actual home.

Many homeowners are becoming more comfortable with the idea of "green" living, which means they want a layout that fits their purpose, yet is sustainable and uses natural light and renewable energy sources more readily. They're also installing "Low-E" windows as well as low flow toilets to conserve on water consumption.

Solar power was looking to be a hot trend in 2018, and it might still be for those who have already imported their solar panels, but a huge tariff on cost-effective panels coming from China might put the brakes on this trend, but it's political, so don't expect a quick resolution.

3) Open concept

This is an area that has been debated as of late. While the open concept has really taken hold in the kitchen, some are finding the because there is no confinement to the aromas coming from the oven and stovetop, it's a nuisance. For others, this is simply part of the togetherness feel that an open concept design embraces. 2018 will see the continuation of that trend to open up once closed-in spaces.

4) White cabinets

The rich, dark hardwood cabinet look might be what adorns many new homes and recently renovated ones, but white is taking over in 2018. By some accounts, it began in the East Coast and has infiltrated the Midwest. Will it hit the West Coast in 2018? All signs lead to "probable."

Some refer to this as "white is the new black" in reference to how popular black has been in the kitchen in recent years. One of the reasons white is taking over is that there are so many bold colors options that work with white, really allowing the colors to pop.

5) Smaller homes

Maybe it's an offshoot of the popularity of tiny homes, or maybe it's the fact that Baby Boomers are looking to downsize as they enter retirement - the need for smaller homes is on the rise. Even the youngest generation of homeowners is focused on a smaller, more practical footprint.

Minimalism could also fit in with this concept of smaller homes. This would involve one or two pieces of furniture in rooms, with the addition of simpler lines and colors, as well as accessories that are downsized.

6) The great outdoors

In some ways, outdoor living space is simply an expansion of the indoor living area. Most of the comforts of the indoors can be moved to the deck and patio areas of the home. It's an area that doesn't have to be heated or cooled - you simply enjoy entertaining or relaxing in comfortable surroundings outside. More homes are going to be fitted with excellent porches, patios and decks in 2018.

A trend attached to more outdoor living space involves "upcycling," which is the reuse of rustic materials, such as wood pallets for furniture, which should be making its way to more outdoor living spaces in 2018.

7) Textured interiors

The "upcycling" trend is also coming to interior design. If you've noticed a slight uptick in reclaimed wood making its way to interiors of more homes, you're really going to notice it in 2018. Tastes are leaning toward more textured wall treatments, which could include everything from velvet to wood to brick surfaces that offer texture that has been missing on interior walls for years.

The LA Times even jumped on this, featuring an article about how interior designers are noticing a need for more plush fabrics and "things to be very tactile." This includes velvet being a more in-demand product than it has been in years.

8) Getting smart

Automation is huge in practically every industry today, and it's also witnessed a ton of attention in the home building and renovation industry. You've likely already considered a Nest thermostat for your home by now, and that's just the beginning. Appliances are now entering the "smart" game as the internet of things establishes a firm foothold.

9) Wainscoting

Did wainscoting really ever go away? It certainly never did in the plush Hampton estates whose owners relish its luxurious look and feel. Comprised of wall panels, a chair or top molding and a baseboard molding.

The history of wainscoting is such that you're embracing a classic trend, yet it's becoming more in demand in 2018, which means you're also embracing a "modern" design element. With many different design elements in wainscoting for any room, you've got your choice of style, which means you can personalize your approach.

10) Walk-in shower

Walk-in showers are nothing new, but there is a huge move toward barrier-free walk-in showers that will almost definitely explode in 2018. It completely modernizes a bathroom that might have been for decades crowded with a cumbersome tub/shower arrangement, the tub portion of which is seldom if ever used for bathing.

The walk-in design means there is no barrier stepping in and out of the shower, and it's also low maintenance, which is a bonus for today's busy families. There are fewer parts to clean and no corners where mold can get caught up and is difficult to remove. So, think about future-proofing your bathroom with a walk-in, barrier-free shower.

Are you contemplating building a new home?

At New Concept 180, we are equipped with people who think about home design all day everyday. It's not only their career; it's their passion. Furthermore, with a design-build approach to new home construction and whole home renovation, we have everyone we need on one team, so there is no miscommunication and no delays in your construction project. We have our finger on the pulse of what's hot and what's not, but we're also excellent listeners and assist our clients in helping their vision become a reality.

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Top 10 Trends for New Home Construction and Renovations in 2018 and Beyond

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With 2017 and its trends (mostly) behind us, let's look at what's hot for renovations and new home construction in 2018. It seems that every New Year brings with it a new set of trends that help lead the tastes of homeowners across the nation, and 2018 is no different.

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Blah blah blah - Changes to NAFTA

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The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada deal offers modest changes. Will it help the economy?

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Blah Blah blah - Flights to Hawaii

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If you want to get away on an island vacation, now might be the time to book it.

Southwest Airlines' will start flying to Hawaii and it may have sparked some friendly fare competition, at least for the time being.

Nonstop flights could be found on Google for as low as $98 each way from Oakland International Airport to Honolulu.

True, you'd have to fly out of California.

But since Bush Intercontinental Airport would be much more convenient for people in the Houston area, you can expect the roundtrip flights to be a bit steeper, but not bad.

The drop in prices comes about a week after Texas-based Southwest Airlines started flying to Honolulu.

Southwest says its intention is to begin nonstop service from Oakland, San Diego, San Jose and Sacramento to four Hawaiian destinations: Honolulu (Oahu), Kahului (Maui), Kona (Island of Hawaii), and Lihue (Kauai).

You can read more about Southwest Airlines' plans on its website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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southwest airlines completes first flight to hawaii

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Hawaii flight prices fall as Southwest enters the market

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If you want to get away on an island vacation, now might be the time to book it. Southwest Airlines' will start flying to Hawaii and it may have sparked some friendly fare competition, at least for the time being. Nonstop flights could be found on Google for as low as $98 each way from Oakland International Airport to Honolulu.