China’s producer price inflation accelerated more than expected to a four-month high in August, fueled by strong gains in raw materials prices and pointing to strong, sustained growth for both factory profits and the economy. The producer price index (PPI) rose 6.3 percent in August from a year earlier, from 5.5 percent in July, the…
read moreDemocratic lawmakers are trying to find ways to force a vote on legislation to protect enrollees in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which safeguards almost 800,000 undocumented young people in the U.S. from deportation. Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois said Friday at a news conference with fellow Democrats in Washington that if…
read moreThe U.S. credit monitoring company Equifax is facing a storm of criticism, lawsuits and investigations after a data breach that may have compromised personal data for about 143 million Americans. New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Friday that his office would formally investigate the data breach, saying that more than 8 million New…
read moreIt started out cold as ice, and then turned warm and friendly. Now the tortured relationship between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan has gone cool again, with the Republican president making clear he has no qualms about bucking the GOP leader to cut deals with his Democratic foes. The two men dined…
read moreThe combined damage from Hurricanes Irma and Harvey could cut U.S. economic growth by one-third for a few months, according to business analytics firm IHS Markit. Bankrate.com’s Mark Hamrick said, however, that analysts wouldn’t know for sure until Irma passed. He said Harvey alone might cut growth by half of a percent in the third…
read moreThe U.S. Justice Department is expected to appeal the latest travel ban court ruling to the Supreme Court. According to a Justice Department official, the agency plans to ask the high court to weigh in on an appeals court ruling that says grandparents and cousins are close enough relatives to constitute an exemption from the…
read morePresident Donald Trump signed on Friday a bill that provided $15.25 billion in Hurricane Harvey-related aid and included a three-month extension of the federal debt ceiling to keep the government running. The House of Representatives approved the measure earlier Friday; the Senate had passed it Thursday. The House vote was 316-90. Republicans cast all the…
read morePresident Donald Trump is heading to Camp David – with some extra guests. The White House said Friday that the president and first lady Melania Trump have invited all the members of the Cabinet, along with their spouses to the government-owned retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. Trump will hold his fourth Cabinet meeting…
read moreIn Rwanda, less than 15 percent of the population has access to electricity. In rural areas, it can be as low as one percent. In order to increase Rwanda’s energy capacity, a 17-hectare solar field with 28,000 panels was constructed in six months in 2014 by private power companies. It is East Africa’s first large-scale…
read morePresident Donald Trump is defending his decision to work with Democrats to fund the government into December and increase the nation’s borrowing limit. Trump and Democratic congressional leaders reached agreement during a White House meeting Wednesday, but many Republicans remain unhappy about the president’s outreach to the opposition party. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has…
read moreWith Republicans in Congress under pressure to deliver on taxes, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday the GOP plan will aim to reduce the corporate tax rate to low- to mid-20 percent — a smaller cut than what President Donald Trump wants. Ryan provided some specifics as the Republicans start to write legislation overhauling…
read moreThey may differ on policy, but agree on one thing — hurricane victims need help. The five living former U.S. presidents — Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and Republicans George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush — have launched what they call the “One America Appeal.” It is a joint effort to…
read morePresident Donald Trump has tapped one of his own White House attorneys for a judgeship on one of the most important federal appeals courts, opening the door for confirmation hearing questions about the legal controversies that dominated the first seven months of Trump’s presidency. Gregory Katsas was nominated Thursday to serve on the U.S.…
read moreA federal appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s limited view of who is allowed into the United States under the president’s travel ban, saying grandparents, cousins and similarly close relations of people in the U.S. should not be prevented from coming to the country. The unanimous ruling from three judges on the 9th…
read moreGiving the poorest people in the world’s fast-growing cities access to affordable, clean energy supplies, while wiping out the use of hazardous solid fuels is essential for urban economies to grow on a warming planet, researchers said. Some half a billion people in urban areas still cook with traditional fuels like wood, said a report…
read moreAmazon.com said on Thursday it was searching for a location to build its second headquarters in North America that would cost more than $5 billion and house up to 50,000 staff. The e-commerce company, which is headquartered in Seattle, said it was seeking proposals from local and state government leaders and would select the location…
read moreHurricane Harvey pushed U.S. unemployment claims to the highest level in more than two years, after many workplaces in Texas were damaged by wind or submerged by floods. On Thursday, Texas reported more than 51,000 new applications for financial assistance for newly-laid off workers. The state usually reports about 10,000 jobless claims per week. Outside…
read moreWashington’s political establishment is reeling a day after President Trump blindsided Republican Congressional leaders, siding with Democrats on a three-month debt ceiling extension that puts his own party in an awkward spot with mid-term elections little more than a year away. Republican reaction to the deal has veered from bewilderment to anger to cautious endorsement…
read moreU.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he hoped to see compromise immigration reform that combines border security measures with protections for immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States as children. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ended a program for so-called Dreamers and gave Congress six months to find a…
read moreCongressional investigators on Thursday questioned Donald Trump Jr. about Russian meddling in his father’s presidential campaign last year, including a meeting the younger Trump held with a Kremlin-linked lawyer who purportedly was going to hand them “damaging information” about Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. The younger Trump told the investigators that he set up the June…
read moreWhen in doubt, President Donald Trump has a ready-made response to any questions: “We’ll see.” On Wednesday, Trump delivered his go-to line repeatedly. Asked if he would tie debt ceiling legislation to Harvey relief: “We’ll see.” On his plans for an increasingly aggressive North Korea: “We’ll see.” And on efforts to work with the Chinese…
read moreU.S. workers’ productivity rose a bit more this spring than initially reported, but the gains were relatively weak and a key reason why recent economic growth has been modest. The Labor Department said Thursday that productivity grew at a revised annual rate of 1.5 percent in the April-June quarter. That’s up from an initial estimate…
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