*By Amanda Weston*
Microsoft President Brad Smith called for an end to the government shutdown during an appearance on Cheddar Thursday, saying that the political stalemate in the U.S. is contributing to broader international instability resulting from the ongoing Brexit chaos and weakness in the Chinese economy.
"This is not good for this economy, especially at the same time that the U.K. is dealing with another round of Brexit issues, at a time when Chinese economic indicators were not as positive in December," Smith said. "We need our political leaders to come together, get this government reopened, pay the people who are keeping our airports safe, and get this economy firing on all of its cylinders."
Smith's comments come as the partial government shutdown, officially the longest in U.S. history, was in its 27th day, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees still on unpaid leave. President Donald Trump and Democrats remain at odds over funding for border security, including Trump's signature campaign promise of a wall.
Smith said companies are feeling the impact of the stalemate.
"You can debate how much harm it's doing to the economy," the Microsoft ($MSFT) president said. "One thing is indisputable: it's not helping to have the government closed."
"There are companies that are not going public. There are companies that are not bringing products to the market."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/we-can-only-be-successful-if-the-community-is-successful-microsoft-president-says).
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
Intel is out with a new product to challenge other big players in the space like Nvidia and AMD.
Stocks fell after the opening bell Friday but will end on another positive week.
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Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
Mortgage rates have dropped below 7% for the first time since the middle of August.
Taylor Swift grossed nearly $2 billion this year, according to Billboard.
A study from US News and World Report has found the most affordable place to retire is in Ohio.
