The emergence of BlackRock’s Rick Rieder as a Federal Reserve frontrunner means the US central bank could be led by a financial markets master less academically credentialed than other recent chairs.Rieder vaulted to the top of betting markets this week after President Donald Trump spoke effusively of the bond market expert, who makes frequent appearances as a commentator on CNBC and other business news broadcasts.Rieder, whom Trump described as “very impressive,” manages some $2.4 trillion as BlackRock’s chief investment officer of global fixed income. The post demands deep understanding of myriad securities and digitalized investment platforms.Rieder studied business as an undergraduate at Emory University and earned a Master of Business Administration at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.But unlike past Fed chairs Alan Greenspan, Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke — who won a Nobel prize after his Fed service — Rieder has no PhD. He has served on government panels, but never worked for the US central bank. That lack of government experience was viewed as a “big positive,” according to a Fox Business report on Rieder’s January 15 interview at the Oval Office.Besides Trump, the interview included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who in July likened the Fed’s personnel management to “universal basic income for academic economists.” In a 2023 interview with the Goldman Sachs podcast “Exchanges,” Rieder described trading as a thrilling challenge of navigating constantly changing dynamics and discovering when you need to pivot.”I always say this in managing money, we’re not in the business of being right,” said Rieder, who famously begins his daily research ritual at 3:30 am. “We’re in the business of generating return for our clients.”Trading is about “risk management and your perception of where the world is and how people think the world is,” he said. Rieder worked at Lehman Brothers from 1987 to 2008 before starting R3 Capital Partners in 2008, months before the Lehman bankruptcy. In 2009, BlackRock acquired R3. BlackRock declined to comment. – Independent streak -Ironically, the Fed chair from recent years whose profile most closely resembles Rieder’s is probably Jerome Powell, the current central bank head, whom Trump has criticized relentlessly.Trump in 2017 named as chairman Powell, an attorney who had worked in private equity in between stints at the US Treasury Department and the Fed. Trump’s interest in Rieder reflects “MAGA’s critique of the Fed as being excessively technocratic,” said Mark Blyth, a professor in international economics professor at Brown University.Blyth also called Rieder a bit of a “dark horse” on whether his decisions would shift from Powell’s.”It’s not automatically clear that Rieder is a very low-interest rates guy,” Blyth said.Rieder’s political donations suggest an independent streak. In the 2024 cycle, he backed Trump’s Republican primary challenger Nikki Haley over Trump and some DemocratsIn a January 2 BlackRock column, Rieder said the inflation “storm has passed,” characterizing labor market weakness as the bigger priority.That position is in line with pronouncements by Powell at recent meetings. The Fed is expected to leave rates unchanged this week at between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent after three straight cuts.Rieder told CNBC on January 12 that the “Fed’s got to get the rate down” to about three percent.His appearance on CNBC came the day after Powell hit out at a criminal probe of the Fed launched by Trump’s Justice Department as a “pretext” for the president’s opposition to the Fed’s cautious approach to cutting rates.Rieder declined to comment directly on Powell’s remarks, but backed Fed independence, insisting that whomever leads the Fed is “going to make the right decisions… for maximum employment and price stability,” he told CNBC.Besides Rieder, the other leading candidates are White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett; former Fed official Kevin Warsh; and Fed governor Christopher Waller.

The shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has spurred a new kind of debate around gun rights in the United States. President Donald Trump’s administration and law enforcement agencies under him have justified the fatal shooting on the grounds that Pretti was carrying a handgun and acting aggressively when he became entangled with agents during protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown.”We can’t have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID, and confronting law enforcement,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox News Sunday.””That is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold,” she added.FBI chief Kash Patel echoed those comments.”No one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines! That is not a peaceful protest,” Patel, a close Trump loyalist, said Sunday on Fox.At least one high-profile politician from the opposition Democrats as well as gun-rights advocacy groups — who normally stand on opposite sides of the debate — criticized Trump administration officials for that justification.The shooting has led to a reversal of sorts in the usual debate around the right to own and carry guns in America. Republican officials normally are staunch defenders of gun rights while Democrats have traditionally fought against the spread of firearms and gun violence in the country.- Constitutional protection – The Second Amendment to the US Constitution stipulates that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” For decades, it has been the subject of intense controversy.The US Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed this right and the right to carry a weapon in public.In 2023, nearly a third of Americans said they owned a firearm, according to a Pew Research Center survey.Pretti was one of those gun owners, and legally so, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who stated the nurse had no criminal record.- ‘Maximum damage’ – But for the Trump administration, Pretti’s firearm possession was a critical factor leading to shots fired by Border Patrol agents deployed in Minneapolis to assist immigration police operations.Shortly after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security posted a photo of a handgun, presented as the one found on Pretti.Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino said Saturday that “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, said on X that “if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!” — ‘God-given right’ — Such statements were condemned by several gun-rights advocacy groups, including the Gun Owners of America, which rejected the notion that police were justified in shooting people who were legally carrying a firearm.”The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” the group posted on X.The National Rifle Association called Essayli’s remarks “dangerous and wrong.””Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the NRA, a powerful pro-gun lobby group, said on X.A rare dissenting voice in the Republican camp of politicians, congressman Thomas Massie, joined in on criticizing federal law enforcement.”Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right,” Massie, a regular Trump critic, said on X. “If you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.”Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, also slammed various officials who justified the agents’ actions in Minneapolis. “The Trump administration does not believe in the Second Amendment,” Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, posted on X.”Good to know.”

President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed the deaths of two Americans by federal agents on Democratic “chaos,” as his administration faced intensifying pressure over its mass immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, early Saturday while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in the Midwestern city, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.Trump administration officials quickly claimed that Pretti had intended to harm the federal agents — as it did after Good’s death — pointing to a pistol it said was discovered on him.However, video shared widely on social media and verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing around 10 shots at him seconds after he was sprayed in the face with chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.Trump provocatively attributed the deaths to Minnesota’s Democratic elected officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, writing on his Truth Social platform: “Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE.” “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos,” he added.After top officials described Pretti as an “assassin” who had assaulted the agents, Pretti’s parents issued a statement Saturday condemning the administration’s “sickening lies” about their son.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, asked on Fox News show “The Sunday Briefing” what she would say to Pretti’s parents, responded: “Just that I’m grieved for them.”US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said an investigation was necessary to get a full understanding of the killing.Asked if agents had already removed the pistol from Pretti when they fired on him, Blanche said: “I do not know. And nobody else knows, either. That’s why we’re doing an investigation.”- ‘Joint’ probe -Their comments came after multiple senators from Trump’s Republican Party called for a thorough probe into the killing, and for cooperation with local authorities.The Trump administration controversially excluded local investigators from a probe into Good’s killing.Walz posed a question directly to the president during a press briefing Sunday, asking: “What’s the plan, Donald Trump?” “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?”On Sunday, business leaders from 60 corporations headquartered in Minnesota — including retailer Target, food giant General Mills and several professional sports franchises — signed an open letter “calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”Thousands of federal immigration agents have been deployed to heavily Democratic Minneapolis for weeks, after conservative media reported on alleged fraud by Somali immigrants, which Trump has repeatedly amplified.The city, known for its bitterly cold winters, has one of the country’s highest concentrations of Somali immigrants.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back against Trump’s claim, telling reporters “it’s not about fraud, because if he sent people who understand forensic accounting, we’d be having a different conversation. But he’s sending armed masked men.”- Court order -Since “Operation Metro Surge” began, many residents have carried whistles to notify others of the presence of immigration agents, while sometimes violent skirmishes have broken out between the officers and protesters.Local authorities have sued the federal government seeking a court order to suspend the operation, with a first hearing set for Monday.Recent polling has shown voters increasingly upset with Trump’s domestic immigration operations, as videos of masked agents seizing people off sidewalks — including children — proliferate.Barack and Michelle Obama on Sunday forcefully condemned Pretti’s killing, saying in a statement it should be a “wake-up call” that core US values “are increasingly under assault.”The former president and first lady blasted Trump and his government as seeming “eager to escalate the situation.”

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said the NBA team was “heartbroken” by events unfolding in Minneapolis, where federal agents shot dead a second US citizen amid the Trump administration’s mass immigration crackdown.An emotional Finch spoke to reporters shortly before the Timberwolves took on the Golden State Warriors in Minneapolis on Sunday, a game postponed from Saturday when the city was sent reeling by the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.”As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch,” Finch said. “We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti’s family, all the loved ones, and everyone involved in in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love.”The Timberwolves observed a moment of silence honoring Pretti before the game that ended amid expletive-laced chants against ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).Warriors coach Steve Kerr, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump who had called the shooting of Good “shameful,” said it was time for Americans to appeal to their “better angels” in a time of extremism.”People are so angry. There should be an appeal to our better angels to look after one another and to recognize what’s happening,” Kerr said. “We’re being divided by media for profit, by misinformation. There’s so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to reconcile.”That’s what’s so sad about all this — we’re at each other’s throats right now. You can’t just say ‘I’m right and the other person’s wrong.'”It’s hard to decipher what’s real and what’s not, what’s true and what’s not true — people arguing over the exact same video and saying ‘this happened, no, that happened.'”Kerr said the loss of life is “the number one concern.”When all the unrest settles down, whenever that is, those family members won’t be returning home and that’s devastating,” said Kerr, whose university president father was shot dead in Beirut by Islamic militants in 1984.Both coaches praised the decision to postpone the game.”Playing basketball just didn’t feel like the right thing to do,” Finch said.The NBA’s Players Association issued a statement on Sunday saying players “stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.””The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all.”The Timberwolves, along with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, the NFL’s Vikings, MLB’s Twins, NHL’S Wild and Minnesota United of MLS, joined prominent Minnesota companies in signing an open letter calling for state, local and federal officials to work together in pursuit of a “deescalation of tensions.”- ‘Lives at stake’ -Individual athletes were also speaking out.Breanna Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion who co-founded the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s league, held up a small sign saying “Abolish Ice” during player introductions before an Unrivaled game in Florida.”All day yesterday I was kind of just disgusted … we’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love,” Stewart said.”When human lives are at stake it’s bigger than anything else.”She said the issue hit close to home since her wife, retired Spanish basketballer Marta, is still in the process of seeking US citizenship.”She’s a legal permanent resident and all of that, but it seems like it doesn’t matter,” Stewart said.Other athletes weighed in on social media.Two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, posted on X: “Alex Pretti was murdered.”Brianna Turner, who played for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever last season, posted on X: “The minority that are still defending ICE will forever be on the wrong side of history.”