
Biden wants to roll back Trump's expansion of short-term health insurance plans
The Biden administration wants to crack down on short-term health insurance plans, which it says can leave patients saddled with hefty medical bills.
2023-07-08 01:25

Special counsel Jack Smith has spent more than $5 million on Trump probes, DOJ says
The office of special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading several high-profile investigations into former President Donald Trump, has spent more than $5 million since his appointment in November, according to the first public accounting of his expenses.
2023-07-08 00:19

US economy adds 209,000 jobs, unemployment rate stays the same
The US economy added 209,000 jobs in the month of June, far lower than expectations, though wage growth remained resilient, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The number comes a day after ADP said that the economy added 497,000 jobs last month, far higher than the actual number reported by the US government. In addition, the BLS revised the jobs report from April from 294,000 jobs added down to 217,000 jobs and 339,000 jobs added in May down to 306,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked down from 3.7 per cent in May to 3.6 per cent in June. At the same time, hourly earnings remained robust, increasing 0.4 per cent in June and 4.4 per cent in the past 12 months. Unemployment for white people ticked down slightly from 3.3 per cent in May to 3.1 per cent in June. But jobless rates for other major groups including adult men, adult women, teenagers, Black, Asian and Hispanic workers remained unchanged. President Joe Biden, who has in recent days been touting his economic record with a series of appearances across the US, said in a statement that the continued job growth represents “Bidenomics in action” and pointed out that the 13.2 million jobs added to the US economy since the start of his term is more than any president has overseen in a full four-year term. “The unemployment rate has now remained below 4 percent for 17 months in a row—the longest stretch since the 1960s. The share of working-age Americans who have jobs is at the highest level in over 20 years. Inflation has come down by more than half. We are seeing stable and steady growth,” he said. “That’s Bidenomics—growing the economy by creating jobs, lowering costs for hardworking families, and making smart investments in America”. The news comes despite the fact that the Federal Reserve paused raising interest rates last month after it had consistently done so to cool down a hot labour market as a way to ease inflation. Increased jobs typically coincide with higher inflation given that employed consumers have more demand in the economy. Employment in government led the job increases, adding 60,000 jobs during June followed by health care, which added 41,000 jobs and social assistance, which added 24,000 jobs. But retail trade employment shed 11,000 jobs, while building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers lost 10,000 jobs. Furniture, home furnishings, electronics, and appliance retailers lost 5,000 jobs. The decidedly mixed jobs report comes as Mr Biden has attempted to tout his economic record, adopting the term “Bidenomics” to describe his policies such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year. On Thursday, he visited South Carolina to talk about his record and tout the fact that the United States attracted almost half a billion dollar private investment in manufacturing. “It’s historic, and it’s Bidenomics in action,” he said. “Instead of exporting jobs to cheaper labor costs -- what we did for decades -- we’re creating jobs here and exporting American product.” Read More Biden touts his economic record in fiery speech: ‘Guess what – Bidenomics is working’ Watch: Antony Blinken visits China for high-stakes meeting after ‘spy balloon’ Biden administration says judge's social media order could cause 'grave harm' Trump’s ex-press sec’y says there’s ‘no way’ White House cocaine is Hunter Biden’s NATO leaders set to offer Ukraine major support package but membership is off the table for now The US will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package: AP sources
2023-07-07 22:45

Ukraine Recap: Zelenskiy to Discuss Grain Deal With Erdogan
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul late on Friday as
2023-07-07 19:20

Chinese Foreign Minister’s Unusual 12-Day Absence Draws Scrutiny
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been absent from public view for 12 days, an usual absence for
2023-07-07 18:47

Pence tries wooing Iowans, one Pizza Ranch slice at a time
In a crowded Pizza Ranch on Wednesday night, former Vice President Mike Pence found himself confronted about his role on January 6, 2021, by an Iowan who blamed him for President Joe Biden being elected president.
2023-07-07 18:26

Trump’s bizarre 2020 Oval Office meeting ‘focus of questioning’ for special counsel – live updates
The team investigating Donald Trump led by special counsel Jack Smith has indicated their ongoing attention is on a 2020 Oval Office meeting during the last days of his administration, it has been reported. According to CNN, investigators have questioned multiple witnesses about the bizarre Oval Office meeting which involved former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. The investigation has been ongoing for several months. Nearly a month after Donald Trump was arraigned on the 38-count federal indictment that he and his longtime aide Walt Nauta are facing for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstructing justice, the ex-president’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to charges of having assisted Mr Trump in concealing classified documents from the government. Mr Nauta, a retired Navy chief petty officer who served as Mr Trump’s White House valet before following him to Florida after the end of the Trump administration, is on his own charged with a single count of making a false statement to federal investigators. Surveillance footage from the Mar-a-Lago estate, allegedly showed that dozens of boxes were moved in the days before investigators from the Department of Justice visited to retrieve records. Read More Special counsel zeroing in on ‘unhinged’ Oval Office meeting when Trump hosted conspiracy theorists – report DeSantis campaign video crossed a line for gay right-wing pundits despite governor’s record on LGBT+ rights Turnout spiked among younger voters in the last three elections. This is what’s needed for that to be repeated in 2024 Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents thanks to Mar-a-Lago CCTV tapes
2023-07-07 15:25

Sunak Seeks to Cut Number of Britons ‘Unfit to Work’
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is looking to reduce the ranks of Britons declared too sick to work and
2023-07-07 13:55

India Court Declines to Stay Rahul Gandhi Defamation Conviction
An Indian court refused to suspend Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case, a setback for the opposition
2023-07-07 13:50

US Raises Fresh Concern Over China’s ‘Risky’ Sea Moves
The US has expressed concern over China’s recent behavior towards Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, with
2023-07-07 10:47

House Republicans Probe BlackRock, Vanguard on Their ESG Policies
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and two other House Republicans fired off letters to financial industry giants including
2023-07-07 09:49

Brazil’s Congress Advances First Major Tax Overhaul in Decades
Brazil’s lower house gave preliminary approval to a proposal to overhaul the country’s labyrinthine tax rules, a goal
2023-07-07 09:23