Jul 21 6 things to know about Barbie as the new film sets box office records By Justin Stabley, Bella Isaacs-Thomas When Barbie debuted in 1959, she didn’t just make a splash. It was more like a boom, sending children and parents scurrying to possess this icon of femininity and setting off a decadeslong debate about beauty standards, gender roles, race… Continue reading
Jul 21 Russia comes under UN pressure to revive Ukrainian grain shipments amid global food crisis fears By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Moscow was also criticized by the U.N. and council members Friday for attacking Ukrainian Black Sea ports after it pulled out of the year-old grain deal on Monday and destroying critical port infrastructure. Continue reading
Jul 20 New rules for oil and gas leasing raise rates energy companies must pay to drill on public lands By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The Biden administration is proposing new rules for the nation's oil and gas leasing program to raise costs for energy companies to drill on public lands and strengthen requirements to clean up old wells where drilling is completed or abandoned. Continue reading
Jul 20 Solar panels built over water canals seem like a no-brainer. So why aren't they widespread? By Brittany Peterson, Sibi Arasu, Associated Press In arid locations, besides the clean electricity, there is the added benefit of reducing evaporation. But the technology has been slow to take off. Continue reading
Jul 20 New U.S. sanctions aim to choke off Russia's access to battlefield supplies and revenue By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press The sanctions imposed Thursday by the Treasury and State departments target people and companies from Russia to the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan. Continue reading
Jul 20 IRS moves forward with a new free-file tax return system, supporters and critics mobilize By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press On one side, civil society groups this week launched a coalition to promote the move toward a government-run free-file program. On the other, tax preparation firms like Intuit and H&R Block have been pouring millions into lobbying to try to… Continue reading
Jul 20 WATCH: Biden talks economy and unions in Philadelphia as possible strikes loom By Josh Boak, Darlene Superville, Associated Press Tensions are rising between unions and companies about a rapidly evolving economy in which AI, clean energy and e-commerce are rewriting some of the basic rules of work. Biden is trying to allay those concerns by saying unions should be… Continue reading
Jul 19 Watch 8:26 Germany's role as economic powerhouse at tipping point amid recession By Malcolm Brabant, Morgan Till, Dan Sagalyn Germany's economy was the envy of Europe for many of the 30-plus years since reunification. But now the country is officially in recession and its people, used to decades of prosperity, are now losing confidence. Much of its current troubles… Continue watching
Jul 18 Major U.S. firms supplied equipment to keep Russian oil flowing after Ukraine invasion By Ed Davey, Associated Press SLB announced late last week it would stop exporting equipment to Russia as The Associated Press prepared to publish a report on the companies' Russian operations. Continue reading
Jul 17 Watch 7:53 British housing crisis creates new conflicts as developers seek to build homes By Malcolm Brabant, Morgan Till Experts in Britain are warning that a generation of young people may never be able to own their own homes because of a grave housing crisis. There is a shortfall of over four million homes and it is now a… Continue watching