Aug 18 Neighbors Ukraine and Romania sign accord to boost grain exports through Romanian territory By Associated Press The accord was signed during a trip by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Romanian capital, Bucharest, for talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu. Continue reading
Aug 18 Concerns over 'climate gentrification' rise after devastating fire in Maui By Isabella O'Malley, Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press “Climate gentrification” — the concept that changes in housing markets occur after extreme weather events — can result in new, expensive developments that make the area more tourist-friendly and can exclude local people. Continue reading
Aug 17 Federal officials raise concerns about long call center wait times as millions are dropped from Medicaid By David A. Lieb, Associated Press Well over 4 million people have been dropped from Medicaid rolls nationwide since a pandemic-era moratorium on removing people ended this spring. Continue reading
Aug 17 New Jersey shutters 27 Boston Market restaurants over unpaid wages, related worker issues By Associated Press The move comes after an investigation sparked by worker complaints found multiple violations of workers' rights, including more than $600,000 in back wages owed to 314 employees. Continue reading
Aug 17 Average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbs to 7.09 percent this week, highest level in over 20 years By Alex Veiga, Matt Ott, Associated Press Sharply higher rates are contributing to a dearth of available homes, as homeowners who locked into lower borrowing costs two years ago are now reluctant to sell and jump into a higher rate on a new property. Continue reading
Aug 17 Biden's approval rating on the economy stagnates despite slowing inflation, AP-NORC poll finds By Josh Boak, Emily Swanson, Associated Press Only 36 percent of U.S. adults approve of Biden's handling of the economy, slightly lower than the 42 percent who approve of his overall performance. Continue reading
Aug 17 U.S. jobless claims applications fall as labor market remains resilient By Matt Ott, Associated Press Applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 11,000 to 239,000 for the week ending August 12, down from 250,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Continue reading
Aug 17 A Pennsylvania study suggests links between natural gas drilling and asthma, lymphoma in children By Marc Levy, Associated Press In the reports, University of Pittsburgh researchers found what they called significant associations between gas industry activity and two ailments: asthma, and lymphoma in children, who are relatively rarely diagnosed with this type of cancer. Continue reading
Aug 16 Germany's Cabinet approves a plan to liberalize rules on cannabis possession and sales By Geir Moulson, Associated Press The legislation is billed as the first step in a two-part plan and still needs approval by parliament. But the government's approval is a stride forward for a prominent reform project of Chancellor Scholz's socially liberal coalition. Continue reading
Aug 16 Inflation is down, but the Inflation Reduction Act likely doesn't deserve the credit By Josh Boak, Paul Wiseman, Associated Press Price increases have indeed cooled over the past year, with the inflation rate dropping from 9 percent to 3.2 percent. But economists say little to none of the drop came from the law. Continue reading