1gridNATIONandSTATE
Iran’s top diplomat says a lack of trust is impeding talks to end war with the US
NEW DELHI | Iran ‘s foreign minister said a lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the U.S., saying Friday that Tehran would be open to diplomatic help, particularly from China, to help ease tensions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have “made us reluctant about […]
Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign after redraw of his Memphis district
WASHINGTON | Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month’s Supreme Court decision. Republicans in Tennessee this month enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen’s majority-Black district, […]
Latin American nationals deported by the US to Congo face an uncertain future
DAKAR, Senegal | It’s an existence that Congo’s president has described as “living the Congolese dream.” For the 15 Latin Americans deported to the African nation under the Trump administration’s widely criticized crackdown on migrants, it feels more like a nightmare. The Associated Press spoke with one, a 29-year old Colombian woman who confirmed what […]
Powell’s tenure as Fed chair marked by fight for independence while trying to tame inflation
WASHINGTON | When Jerome Powell was sworn in as chair of the Federal Reserve eight years ago, economists worried that inflation and interest rates were too low and that too few Americans had jobs. Now, as Powell steps down from the post after eight tumultuous years, the U.S. economy is transformed: Inflation soared after the […]
FBI offers $200,000 reward to catch ex-Air Force specialist wanted on espionage charges in Iran
WASHINGTON | The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to capture and prosecution of a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran in 2013 and was later charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government. Monica Elfriede Witt, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February […]
Separate and unequal: The ‘Whites Only’ sign was a visible reminder of American racism
“No dogs, no Negros, no Mexicans.” “Colored served in rear.” “For whites only.” It’s the type of signage that hung from the doors and windows of establishments across much of the American South for many years. The words, like screaming headlines from Page One of a broadsheet newspaper, were the most visible, daily reminder of […]
Muskets like those from 1776 are mostly exempt from today’s gun laws
HALIFAX, N.C. | With 165 grains of black powder in the barrel, a .75-caliber Brown Bess flintlock musket like the ones the redcoats carried in 1776 can hurl a lead ball at a velocity of around 1,000 feet (305 meters) per second. Imagine what that can do to a human body. Now, imagine that it’s […]
The world’s reaction to hantavirus is tinged by echoes of something else: COVID
NEW YORK | The lingering impact of COVID-19, a few years out from the declaration that the pandemic was over, is scattered across how we live today — the work-from-home jobs, the way some have decided wearing masks is their new normal, the hand sanitizer dispensers that remain ever present. Some of the other ripples, […]
What to know about Xi’s warning to Trump over the ‘Taiwan Question’
HONG KONG | China on Thursday stepped up its tough stance on Taiwan, an island democracy it deems its territory, warning the United States that Beijing and Washington will “have clashes and even conflicts” if the issue is not handled properly. China’s President Xi Jinping stressed during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that […]
Retail sales growth slowed in April from March as higher gas cost leaves less room for nonessentials
NEW YORK | Shoppers pulled back on spending in April as higher gas prices fueled by the Iran war meant less money left over for some nonessentials like clothing and furniture. But economists noted that consumer spending, propped up by generous income tax refunds, is still healthy. Still, they worry that spending will fall off […]