Category Archives: World/National

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

Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods

Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Sadness is settling in across Texas where at least 120 people have died from flash floods and more are missing. A growing memorial wall in the Hill Country includes photos of those have died. The search for more victims moved slowly Thursday as stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas. The devastation stretches from the Hill Country all the way to just outside the state’s capital city. President Donald Trump plans to visit on Friday.… Continue Reading

Stocks close higher, nudging the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to more highs

Stocks close higher, nudging the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to more highs

Stocks are off to a sluggish start on Wall Street, while Delta Air Lines led a rally in airline stocks after releasing a solid outlook for the rest of 2025. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% in early trading Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 55 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.4%. The Nasdaq, which is heavily weighted with big technology companies, set an all-time high the day before. Cereal maker WK Kellogg soared after agreeing to be acquired by Nutella maker Ferrero Group. Copper prices rose.… Continue Reading

Flamingos are stirring up trouble and ravaging rice for risotto in Italy’s northeast

Flamingos are stirring up trouble and ravaging rice for risotto in Italy’s northeast

JOLANDA DI SAVOIA, Italy (AP) — Farmers in Italy’s northeastern Po Delta region are battling an unusual pest: flamingos. These birds have been invading rice paddies and damaging crops while searching for food like mollusks and insects. Farmers are using noisy tactics such as gas cannons and banging barrels to scare them off, but the birds often move to nearby fields. Some farmers report losing up to 90% of their crops. There have been no studies to determine why flamingos seek food inland where farmers flood fields from late spring to early summer. Ornithologists suggest humane solutions like planting hedges or lowering water levels in paddies to deter the birds while protecting the rice.… Continue Reading

Nutella maker Ferrero plans to buy century-old cereal maker WK Kellogg for $3.1 billion

Nutella maker Ferrero plans to buy century-old cereal maker WK Kellogg for $3.1 billion

Italian confectioner Ferrero, known for brands like Nutella and Kinder, is buying the century-old U.S. cereal company WK Kellogg in a deal valued at approximately $3.1 billion. The Ferrero Group said Thursday it will pay $23 for each Kellogg share. The transaction includes the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of WK Kellogg Co.’s portfolio of breakfast cereals across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Kellogg was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1906. It makes Fruit Loops, Special K, Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies. The deal still needs the approval of WK Kellogg’s shareholders.… Continue Reading

Harrowing stories of rescue emerge from Texas floods as crews search for over 160 reported missing

Harrowing stories of rescue emerge from Texas floods as crews search for over 160 reported missing

HUNT, Texas (AP) — Texas police described some of the harrowing rescues they conducted after flash floods engulfed camps and homes in the state’s Hill Country. An officer who was trapped himself spotted dozens of people stranded on roofs and waded out to bring them to safety. That’s according to a fellow officer who spoke Wednesday to a news conference. Another off-duty officer tied a garden hose around his waist so he could reach two people clinging to a tree above swirling floodwaters. More than 160 people still are believed to be missing and at least 118 have died in the floods. The floods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since 1976.… Continue Reading

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