Police say FBI agent sexually assaulted 2 women

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) — Police say an FBI agent charged in Maryland with sexually assaulting two women contacted his alleged victims through social media with a promise to give them free tattoos and modeling work. Montgomery County police said Tuesday that Eduardo Valdivia used aliases as he contacted the women through an Instagram account for a tattoo parlor in Gaithersburg. Assistant Police Chief Nicholas Augustine said Monday that neither woman knew Valdivia was an FBI agent. Valdivia is accused of sexually assaulting the women during photo shoots at a tattoo studio and at a hotel. Defense attorney Robert Bonsib confirmed his client was arrested on sexual assault charges and awaits a bond hearing Tuesday.

Tank containing oil drilling byproducts explodes and catches fire near GM facility

BRIGHTON Mich. (AP) — A fire chief says a tank containing byproducts from oil drilling operations exploded and caught fire near the General Motors Proving Ground in southeastern Michigan, damaging two nearby homes but causing no injuries. Brighton Area Fire Authority Chief Michael O’Brian says crews were dispatched to the site Tuesday morning after the tank exploded. He says the blast shattered windows in two nearby homes but no injuries were reported. O’Brian says the explosion happened at a site leased by a third party adjacent to the GM Proving Grounds property, about 45 miles northwest of Detroit. Video footage shows flames soaring above the site and local television stations report residents felt the explosion miles away.

Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs.

Federal Reserve officials signal cautious path for rate cuts amid still-high inflation

WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation still elevated, Federal Reserve officials expressed caution at their last meeting about cutting interest rates too quickly, adding to uncertainty about their next moves. Even if inflation continued declining to the Fed’s 2% target, officials said, “it would likely be appropriate to move gradually” in lowering rates, according to minutes of the November 6-7 meeting. The minutes don’t specifically provide much guidance about what the Fed will do at its next meeting in December. Wall Street investors see the odds of another quarter-point reduction in the Fed’s key rate at that meeting as nearly even, according to CME Fedwatch.