AP National Business

The Associated Press The stock market ended another erratic day of trading with mixed results on Thursday as investors grapple to understand what’s next with inflation and the U.S. central bank’s response to it. The S&P 500 erased most of an early slump to close only slightly lower, largely because of drops in a few

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A former eBay Inc. executive has pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to terrorize the creators of an online newsletter executives viewed as critical of the company. David Harville is the final onetime eBay employee charged in the case to plead guilty. Six others have

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, responding to the recent sharp decline in cryptocurrencies, says additional federal regulation is needed to respond to the wave of speculative investment in the currency whose secrecy is an essential part of its appeal. Yellen told a House committee hearing on Thursday that

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed Jerome Powell for a second four-year term as Federal Reserve chair, giving bipartisan backing to Powell’s high-stakes efforts to curb the highest inflation in four decades. The 80-19 vote reflected broad support in Congress for the Fed’s drive to combat surging

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature has voted to increase how much money people can win in medical malpractice lawsuits. Since 1975, the that Californians could win for pain and suffering in a medical malpractice lawsuit was $250,000. Starting Jan. 1, that limit will increase to $350,000 for people

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Twitter fired two of its top managers Thursday, the latest sign of internal turmoil amid Tesla billionaire Elon Musk’s planned buyout of the company. One Twitter general manager, Kayvon Beykpour, is leaving after 7 years; in a series of tweets Thursday, Beykpour said CEO Parag Agrawal “asked me to

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran abruptly raised prices as much as 300% for a variety of staples such as cooking oil, chicken, eggs and milk on Thursday. Scores of alarmed Iranians waited in long lines to snatch up bundles of food and emptied supermarket shelves across the country

By ASHIFA KASSAM and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A government proposal that could make Spain the first country in Europe to allow workers to take menstrual leave has sparked debate over whether the policy would help or hinder women in the workplace. A leaked draft of new legislation that the Spanish Cabinet

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Many parents are hunting for infant formula because of a combination of short- and long-term problems that has hit most of the biggest U.S. brands. Millions of babies in the U.S. rely on formula, which is the only source of nutrition recommended for infants who aren’t

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America’s commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the 2020 haul of fish was 8.4 billion pounds, while the value of that catch was

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government is refusing to reveal whether intelligence agencies expressed concerns about the decision to award a noble title and a seat in Parliament to a businessman whose father was a KGB agent. Lawmakers ordered the government to release documents related to the appointment of Russia-born

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it is canceling three oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. That will remove millions of acres from possible drilling as U.S. gas prices reach record highs. The Interior Department announced the decision

By ASHIFA KASSAM Associated Press MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government says the land borders between Morocco and Spain’s North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla will reopen next week. They were closed for more than two years due to COVID-19 restrictions and tensions between the two countries. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bonds are supposed to be the safe part of any nest egg, but they’re on pace for one of the worst years in history. The worst off investors are those who invest conservatively, favoring bonds instead of stocks in hopes of securing historically steady returns.

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission is proposing to help Ukraine move its critical grain supplies to parts of the world at risk of food insecurity. The plan released Thursday by the European Union’s executive arm urges rail, road and river routes to get around a Russian blockade of Black

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged up again this week, with interest on the key 30-year loan at its highest level since 2009. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate ticked up to 5.3% from 5.27% last week. By contrast, the average rate

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meat processing industry worked closely with political appointees in the Trump administration to stave off health restrictions and keep slaughterhouses open even as the virus spread rapidly among workers, according to a congressional report released Thursday. The

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Five-time former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been reappointed in an effort to bring stability to the island nation that’s engulfed in a political and economic crisis. Wickremesinghe is a contentious choice by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and took his oath

By ANDREW MELDRUM and MARIA CHENG Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The first factory to produce COVID-19 vaccines in Africa has announced that it has not received enough orders and is planning to stop production within a few weeks, in what a senior World Health Organization official described as a “failure” in efforts to achieve

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar has announced it will resume issuing visas for visitors in an effort to help its moribund tourism industry, devastated by the coronavirus pandemic and violent political unrest. Starting on Sunday, tourist “e-Visas” will be provided online in a move also intended to harmonize tourism with neighboring countries. Visitors need a certificate

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for jobless aid ticked up slightly last week but the total number of Americans collecting benefits remained at its lowest level in more than five decades. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 1,000 to 203,000 for the week ending May 7,

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. producer prices soared 11% in April from a year earlier, a hefty gain that indicates high inflation will remain a burden for consumers and businesses in the months ahead. The Labor Department said Thursday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s foreign secretary warned the European Union on Thursday that the U.K. will have “no choice but to act” to revoke parts of a Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland if the EU does not show flexibility. Post-Brexit arrangements for border and customs checks in Northern Ireland have

The highest-ranking Russian official to go to prison in nearly two decades has been released after serving more than half of an eight-year sentence for bribery. A court granted former Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev parole last month. Russian state television showed images of what it said was a convoy of cars taking him away

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece says it’s extending a bilateral military agreement with the United States for five years. Officials from Greece’s center-right government argued that enhanced alliances within NATO will help stabilize the region rattled by Russia’s war in Ukraine and tension in the eastern Mediterranean. The agreement announced Thursday needs to be ratified

By RANDA KRISS of NerdWallet Compared with larger companies, many small businesses have fewer resources to dedicate to cybersecurity, leaving them vulnerable to the ever-evolving tactics of cybercriminals. To protect themselves from cyberthreats, business owners should evaluate their online systems to understand where their data lives and what information needs to be kept safe. Small

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — The name “FIFA” can bring to mind images of the World Cup and soccer’s greatest players, like Pele, Zinedine Zidane or Lionel Messi. The acronym for the sport’s governing body may also remind some of shameless bribery and corruption. For many, though, it’s the video

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — It’s likely to be the quickest NATO enlargement ever and one that would redraw Europe’s security map. Finnish leaders announced Thursday their belief that Finland should join the world’s biggest military organization because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sweden could soon follow suit. Should they apply for

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide has continued to fall except in the Americas and Africa. In its latest weekly assessment of the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said about 3.5 million new cases and more than 25,000 deaths were reported globally. Those figures represent

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Inflation in Sweden increased last month to its highest level since 1991. Official figures from Statistics Sweden released Thursday said the consumer price index rose 6.4% in April from a year ago and was up from 6.1% in March. The agency says food prices increased, with meat and vegetables being “the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology company SoftBank Group has dropped into losses as the value of its investments declines. It reported red ink totaling 1.7 trillion yen, or $13 billion, for the fiscal year through March, a reversal from a 4.9 trillion yen profit the year before. Although the

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press WEISSENHAUS, Germany (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy nations have gathered in northern Germany for a three-day meeting centered on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the wider impact it is having around the world. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the conflict already had become a

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Andy Byford points out the cathedral-like ceiling, the crystal-clear acoustics, the “pureness of the aesthetic” that surrounds him. The head of London’s public transport system is rhapsodizing about a subway station — part of a new line he says will be “the envy of the world” when

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s economy grew at the slowest pace in a year during the first quarter as retailers and manufacturers were hurt by supply disruptions and higher prices. That’s raising concerns that the U.K. may be headed for a recession. The Office for National Statistics says gross domestic product,

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer An American consortium has bought an English soccer team with the ultimate aim of winning the Premier League title. Some would say there is nothing especially new there but there is a huge catch when it comes to the recent purchase of Crawley Town. The unheralded fourth-division club located

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automaker Nissan has returned to profitability for the first time in three fiscal years, despite challenges such as supply shortages caused by the pandemic and soaring costs.  Nissan reported a profit of 215.5 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, for the fiscal year through March, a

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A man in a Russian military uniform stood at the entrance of a large home improvement store in Poland’s capital, saluting shoppers and thanking them for funding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. His chest bedecked with medals, Polish activist Arkadiusz Szczurek was protesting at

By ALI ZERDIN Associated Press LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Officials say an explosion and fire at a chemical plant in southeast Slovenia has left five people missing and feared dead. Emergency officials said another two people were hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns after the blast, which was reported around 8.30 a.m. (0630GMT) Thursday

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s leaders say they’re in favor of applying for NATO membership “without delay.” The annoucement by President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday means that Finland is all but certain to join the Western military alliance. The decision of the Finnish leaders paves the

By BRIAN SLODYSKO and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Erin Houchin braced for the worst when a mysterious group started buying television ads last month in her highly competitive southern Indiana congressional race. Houchin assumed she would face a negative blitz, like the one that crushed her in 2016 when she ran for

By BRIAN SLODYSKO and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Erin Houchin braced for the worst when a mysterious, well-financed group started buying television ads last month in her highly competitive southern Indiana congressional race. Houchin assumed she would face a negative blitz, like the one that crushed her in 2016 when she ran

By OLEKSANDR STASHEVSKYI Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Finland’s leaders Thursday came out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days, in a historic realignment on the continent 2 1/2 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow’s neighbors.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese passenger jet has veered off the runway during takeoff and caught fire, sending black smoke billowing into the air and injuring more than 30 people. The Tibet Airlines flight with 122 people on board was heading from the southwestern city of Chongqing to Nyingchi in China’s Tibet region on Thursday.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Joyous bedlam erupted at an employee appreciation and awards buffet at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas when the resort chief executive announced that all 5,400 people who work there will receive a $5,000 bonus. Nine-year cafeteria cook Edgar Rives declared it amazing and a big surprise as he hand-slapped and hugged

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A jury in Texas has cleared American Airlines of responsibility for an alleged sexual assault by a celebrity chef it hired against one of its flight attendants. In the verdict Wednesday, jurors in the civil lawsuit concluded that an assault occurred but that Fort Worth, Texas-based American was not at

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown Thursday to control its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed economist Phillip Jefferson to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. Jefferson is the latest addition to the panel after delays and setbacks for President Joe Biden’s other nominees. He becomes fourth Black man to serve on the Fed’s board, and he would join Lisa Cook, the first Black

By BERNARD CONDON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The lease to the Washington hotel run by Donald Trump’s family company while he was president has been sold to a Miami-based investor fund. The Trump Organization said Wednesday that it has completed the sale of rights to run the Trump International Hotel to CGI Merchant

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s largest public utility plans to shut down a massive coal-fired power plant, but wants to replace it with natural gas. That would put the federal Tennessee Valley Authority out of step with President Joe Biden’s administration goal of a carbon-pollution-free energy sector by 2035.

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pushed back forcefully Wednesday against critics — including some within the Biden administration — who say a government investigation of solar imports from Southeast Asia is hindering President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate goals. Testifying on her department’s budget, Raimondo told a Senate panel

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Plant-based meat company Beyond Meat reported lower-than-expected revenue in the first quarter as it slashed prices and demand from restaurants fell. The El Segundo, California, company said its revenue rose 1.2% to $109.5 million in the January-March period. That fell short of Wall Street’s forecast. Beyond Meat’s shares tumbled

By The Associated Press Spirit Airlines shareholders will vote next month on whether to accept a buyout offer from Frontier Airlines. Spirit said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that the vote will take place June 10. Shareholders will be voting, in effect, whether to take Frontier’s bid and reject a higher offer from JetBlue Airways.

By The Associated Press BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. missed Wall Street’s expectations for its fiscal second quarter, dinged by over $1 billion it paid in early termination fees for TV shows and films it wanted to use on its own streaming service. The remains in the crosshairs of Republican lawmakers and

The Associated Press Stocks fell on Wall Street Wednesday, led by more drops in technology companies, after a report on inflation came in worse than feared. The S&P 500 fell, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower. Treasury yields initially jumped following the inflation report but later fell back. Wall Street

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Callaway, Alcon rise; Wendy’s, Fiverr International fall.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery rose $5.95 to $105.71 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for July delivery rose $5.05 to $107.51 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for June delivery rose 15 cents to $3.69 a gallon. June heating oil rose 2 cents to $3.95 a gallon. June natural gas rose 25 cents to $7.64

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Wednesday took a big step toward pushing its Pixel product line-up down a road already paved by Apple and its array of trendsetting phones, tablets and watches. The internet giant’s latest additions to its six-year-old Pixel brand will include Google’s first smartwatch that draws on features and expertise it’s

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase has lost half its value in the past week, including its biggest one-day drop 5o date on Wednesday as the famously volatile crypto market weathers yet another slump. Coinbase reported a $430 million net loss in the first quarter, or

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor is calling on the Biden administration to yank the federal firearms license of a Nevada company that sells parts and kits for ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been increasingly turning up at crime scenes around the U.S. Mayor Eric Adams joined with gun control

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee have asked the Justice Department to investigate whether a Trump administration interior secretary engaged in possible criminal conduct while helping an Arizona developer get a crucial permit for a housing project. David Bernhardt, who led the Interior Department from 2019

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge said Wednesday he will lift Donald Trump’s contempt of court order if the former president meets conditions including paying $110,000 in fines he’s racked up for being slow to respond to a civil subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general. Judge

DUBLIN, Ga. (AP) — A French manufacturer says it will restart the fiberglass furnace at a Georgia plant it purchased in 2019. Saint-Gobain says it will invest $28 million and hire 400 new workers in Dublin, Georgia. Saint-Gobain’s ADFORS unit bought the plant from a bankrupt Latvian company for $17.5 million in 2019. The original

LONDON (AP) — Google says it struck licensing deals with 300 news publishers in Europe in its latest effort to comply with a recently introduced European Union copyright law. The tech giant signed the agreements with national, local and specialist news publications in Germany, Hungary, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Ireland. It said Wednesday that

Many people are puzzling what a Elon Musk takeover of Twitter would mean for the company and even whether he’ll go through with the deal.  If the 50-year-old Musk’s gambit has made anything clear it’s that he thrives on contradiction.  Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long

By TOM KRISHER, MICHAEL LIEDTKE and ADAM GELLER Associated Press As the uproar over Elon Musk’s $44 billion buyout of Twitter reaches a crescendo, another Musk drama, still chaotic four years after it began, has been back in court. Ironically, that spectacle started with a Musk tweet about doing an audacious deal. Then, with Wall

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines says it will spend more than $2 billion on changes to make flying on its planes more comfortable. The airline said Wednesday that it will add faster internet service, put power outlets at every seat and install larger overhead bins for carry-on bags. The changes won’t happen right away —

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s public health minister, who has spearheaded the country’s drive to decriminalize cannabis, says the government will distribute 1 million of the plants free when most legal restrictions on production and possession of the drug are lifted next month. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed a measure in February officially dropping cannabis,

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Kohl’s shareholders rejected all 10 board nominees pushed by activist investor Macellum Advisors and instead voted in support of the existing board. The department store said that shareholders have voted to re-elect all 13 of its director nominees, according to a preliminary tally at its

By The Associated Press The shutdown of a gas pipeline through Russian-held territory in Ukraine is sending a new wave of energy jitters through Europe. Ukraine’s pipeline system operator says it had to halt the flows through the pipeline because it no longer controls a key compressor station that’s in Russian hands. The move is

Kendall Nunamaker and her family of five in Kennewick, Washington, faced impossible math this month: How to pay for gas, groceries and the mortgage with inflation driving up prices? Like many other working families, the Nunamakers are grappling with the 8.3% inflation in the consumer price index in April announced Wednesday — slowing slightly from

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai is recalling more than 215,000 midsize cars in the U.S. — most for a second time — because fuel hoses can leak in the engine compartment and cause fires. The recall covers certain 2013 and 2014 Sonata sedans, many of which were recalled for the same problem in 2020. The Korean

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Philip Morris will attempt to step further into the smoke-free tobacco market, offering to buy the chewing tobacco company Swedish Match for about $16 billion in cash. Swedish Match, based in Stockholm, makes nicotine pouches, chewing tobacco and moist snuff, among other products. It derives more than 65% of

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm has proposed requiring online platforms to detect and report the sharing of child sex abuse images on the internet. The regulation, which needs to be endorsed by member countries and the EU Parliament, would force companies operating in the EU to detect,

HELSINKI (AP) — Britain has pledged to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland, including with military support, if the two Nordic nations came under attack under security deals Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with his Swedish counterpart in Stockholm and the Finnish president in Helsinki. Sweden and Finland are pondering whether to abandon

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Inflation may be soaring, supply chains remain snarled and the coronavirus just won’t go away, but America’s casinos are humming right along, recording the best month in their history in March. The American Gaming Association, the gambling industry’s national trade group, said Wednesday that U.S.

By ANDY ROSEN of NerdWallet With investors eager to get in early on new cryptocurrency projects, some unscrupulous developers have attracted investments, then walked away before building what they promised — leaving their supporters with worthless holdings. The rug pull, which gets its name from the expression “pulling the rug out,” is part of a

By ALEX NISHIMOTO Edmunds Can the redesigned Acura MDX unseat the reigning three-row luxury champ? The MDX makes a case for itself against the Audi Q7 with its lower starting price, larger third-row bench and slightly more cargo capacity. Meanwhile, the Q7 features an elegant interior and more attainable fuel economy numbers, and it’s more

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain and the European Union are once again at loggerheads over Brexit. The U.K. government has ramped up threats to scrap parts of its trade treaty with the bloc, saying the rules are preventing the formation of a new government in Northern Ireland. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The European Union will no longer recommend medical masks be worn at airports and on planes starting next week amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions across the bloc. Member states can still require them, however. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota has reported its net profit fell 31% from the year before in the January-March quarter but the Japanese automaker still wrapped up a year of record earnings. Toyota’s January-March profit totaled 533.8 billion yen, or about $4.1 billion. Automakers have been struggling to keep up

By MATT O’BRIEN, KELVIN CHAN and TOM KRISHER AP Business Writers On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would reverse Twitter’s ban of former President Donald Trump, who was booted in January 2021 for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol, should he succeed in acquiring the social platform for $44 billion. But the day before, the

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Shares fell in Asia on Thursday after the release of worse inflation data than expected sparked heavy selling of technology stocks on Wall Street. Hong Kong’s benchmark dipped 1.5% in early trading following the arrests of several prominent democracy advocates, including a retired Roman Catholic cardinal. Wednesday’s report from

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president is promising to appoint a new prime minister, empower the Parliament and abolish the all-powerful executive presidential system as reforms to stabilize the country engulfed in a political crisis and violence triggered by the worst economic crises in memory. In a televised

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will reopen its borders to tourists from all countries by July. The government says it will allow back cruise ships and make it easier for skilled workers to immigrate as it looks outward to the world again following the pandemic. New Zealand imposed

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday defended sticking to its strict “zero-COVID” approach, calling critical remarks from the head of the World Health Organization “irresponsible.” The response from the Foreign Ministry came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had been discussing with Chinese experts the need for a different approach in light of

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — President Joe Biden is vowing to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He visited a family farm in Illinois on Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation eased slightly in April after months of relentless increases but remained near a four-decade high, making it hard for millions of American households to keep up with surging prices. Consumer prices jumped 8.3% last month from a year ago, the government said Wednesday. That was below the 8.5% year-over-year surge in

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a resolution that will pave the way for letting congressional staff join a union and engage in collective bargaining. Proponents say that allowing staffs to unionize would enhance the ability of aides from low- and middle-income families to make ends meet in a

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer COPPELL, Texas (AP) — The people who screen your bag at the airport are expecting big crowds this summer. And in hopes of keeping lines from growing too long, the Transportation Security Administration says it is planning to move screeners from some airports to busier ones. TSA Administrator David