Live updates: Trump attends UK state dinner after Fed cuts rates

Video: Powell gives remarks after Federal Reserve cuts interest rates

The president and first lady Melania Trump kicked off two days of pomp and business with a state visit to the U.K., attending a banquet at Windsor Castle.

Prince William and Princess Kate, and then King Charles III and Queen Camilla, greeted the Trumps earlier in the day. This is Trump’s second state visit to the U.K.

Back home, the Federal Reserve announced an interest rate cut on Wednesday after months of pressure from President Trump.

This is the first time the central bank has cut rates this year as it seeks to ease stress on the weakening job market. 

On Capitol Hill, FBI Director Kash Patel returned for a second day of testimony in the House after a grilling in the Senate. 

Earlier Wednesday, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Susan Monarez testified in the upper chamber about the disarray at the agency from which she was fired after only three weeks on the job. 

Republicans are still pushing for a government funding deal, dismissing any Democratic pleas for bipartisan talks. A shutdown at the end of the month looks increasingly possible.

Follow along here all day.