Category Archives: World/National

Senate votes to move ahead with Trump’s request for $9 billion in spending cuts

Senate votes to move ahead with Trump’s request for $9 billion in spending cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have advanced President Donald Trump’s request to cancel some $9 billion in previously approved spending. They overcame concerns from some lawmakers about what the rescissions could mean for impoverished people around the globe and for local public radio and television stations in their home states. The Senate vote was 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Proponents described the bill as a first step in putting the nation’s fiscal house in order. Democrats questioned their intent given that Republicans just passed a major tax and spending cut bill that is expected to increase federal deficits by an estimated $3.4 trillion over the coming decade.… Continue Reading

Pam Bondi dodges questions on Epstein and Bongino amid Justice Department turmoil

Pam Bondi dodges questions on Epstein and Bongino amid Justice Department turmoil

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer questions Tuesday about investigate files related to Jeffrey Epstein and her clash with a top FBI official. She’s seeking to press ahead with a business-as-usual approach in the face of right-wing outrage that has plunged the Justice Department into turmoil. Bondi was pressed by reporters at an announcement touting drug seizures. The Trump administration is struggling to contain the fallout of a decision not to release any more records related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation.… Continue Reading

The tariff-driven inflation that economists feared begins to emerge

The tariff-driven inflation that economists feared begins to emerge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation rose last month to its highest level since February as President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs push up the cost of a range of goods, including furniture, clothing, and large appliances. Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. Worsening inflation poses a political challenge for Trump, who promised during last year’s presidential campaign to immediately lower costs only to engage in a whipsawed frenzy of tariffs. Trump has declared that the U.S. effectively has no more inflation as he has attempted to pressure Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell into cutting short-term interest rates.… Continue Reading

Most US stocks fall, but Nvidia keeps Wall Street near records

Most US stocks fall, but Nvidia keeps Wall Street near records

NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks are falling after an update on inflation hurt Wall Street’s hopes for lower interest rates. But indexes are staying close to their records on Tuesday thanks to Nvidia, the market’s most influential stock. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged and just a bit below its all-time high set on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 253 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7% toward another record. Stocks felt pressure from a report showing inflation in the United States accelerated to 2.7% last month from 2.4% in May. That could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates.… Continue Reading

Wall Street holds near its record amid doubts about Trump’s tariffs

Wall Street holds near its record amid doubts about Trump’s tariffs

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes held near their records following President Donald Trump’s latest updates to his tariffs, as speculation continues that he may ultimately back down on them. The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Stock indexes fell in Europe but were mixed elsewhere after Trump announced 30% tariffs on goods from Mexico and the European Union. They won’t take effect until Aug. 1, which leaves time for more negotiations. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market, while bitcoin rallied at the start of Washington’s “Crypto Week.”… Continue Reading

Osprey came back from the brink once. Now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing

Osprey came back from the brink once. Now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing

GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. (AP) — The osprey is in decline in one of its key territories and some scientists blame overfishing of menhaden, an important food for the birds. The osprey is a fish-eating raptor known for gymnastic dives and whistle-like chirps. And it’s an American conservation success story: The hawk-like bird rebounded after DDT was banned, and now numbers in the thousands across the U.S. But biologist Bryan Watts has documented an alarming trend: The birds are failing to successfully fledge enough chicks around their key population center, the Chesapeake Bay. Members of the menhaden fishing industry say it’s unfair to pin the blame solely on them.… Continue Reading

Trump announces 30% tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin Aug. 1, rattling major US trading partners

Trump announces 30% tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin Aug. 1, rattling major US trading partners

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced he’s levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1. Trump detailed the planned tariffs Saturday in letters posted to his social media account. It’s a move that could cause massive upheaval between the U.S. and two of its biggest trade partners. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU may adopt “proportionate countermeasures” if Trump moves ahead with the tariffs. Mexico’s government in a statement described the proposed move by Trump as “unfair treatment.” The letters are part of an announcement blitz by Trump of new tariffs with allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy.… Continue Reading

Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department

Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files flap is cascading, further roiling a Justice Department and FBI that have struggled for months to appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump’s base. In a sign of continued tumult, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino were revealed to have had a contentious conversation at the White House earlier in the week over the Epstein documents and a recent story that described divisions between the FBI and Justice Department. The turmoil arising from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they had stoked.… Continue Reading

Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response

Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump is visiting Texas to assess catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people. Despite his past calls to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Republican president has praised the federal response to the disaster. Trump plans to tour affected areas by air, meet first responders and speak with victims’ families. Top members of Trump’s administration have also shifted focus from reducing federal disaster management efforts to addressing the tragedy’s human impact. Before Trump left on Friday, his director of the Office of Management and Budget suggested FEMA needs reform but didn’t answer questions about whether the agency should be shuttered.… Continue Reading

S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite pull back from their all-time highs

S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite pull back from their all-time highs

Stocks closed lower on Wall Street, pulling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite below the records they set a day earlier. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Levi Strauss jumped 11% after the jeans maker easily beat Wall Street’s sales and profit targets and raised its full-year forecast, despite expecting higher costs from tariffs. European markets closed broadly lower, and Asian markets closed mixed. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed to 4.42%.… Continue Reading

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