Apr 28 House votes to reinstate solar panel tariffs paused by Biden By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The House voted Friday to reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries. President Joe Biden paused them in a bid to boost solar panel installations in the U.S., a key part of his climate agenda. Continue reading
Apr 28 Climate activists stage over a week of road blockages in Berlin By Frank Jordans, Associated Press Members of the Last Generation group glued themselves to the road and caused long traffic jams for commuters. The group has acknowledged that its protests are provocative but argues that creating friction can encourage debate about climate change. Continue reading
Apr 28 In drought-stricken Arizona, fresh scrutiny of Saudi Arabia-owned farm's water use By Suman Naishadham, Associated Press In Arizona, worsening drought has brought renewed attention to a farm owned by a Saudi Arabian company and whether the state should be doing more to protect its groundwater resources. Continue reading
Apr 28 Fed faults Silicon Valley Bank executives, itself in bank failure By Christopher Rugaber, Ken Sweet, Associated Press Silicon Valley Bank failed due to a combination of extremely poor bank management, weakened regulations and lax government supervision, the Federal Reserve says in a highly-anticipated review of how the central bank failed to properly supervise the bank before it… Continue reading
Apr 27 U.S. adult cigarette smoking hits new all-time low By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Cigarette smoking dropped to another new all-time low last year, with 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers. Meanwhile, e-cigarette use rose, to about 1 in 17 adults. Continue reading
Apr 27 Watch 5:23 What the latest GDP report says about the strength of the U.S. economy By Paul Solman, Ryan Connelly Holmes The newest GDP data suggests the U.S. economy is slowing down. Consumers are still spending and companies are still hiring and investing, but it’s not at the same pace as last year. At the same time, the economy continues to… Continue watching
Apr 27 Microsoft's 'good guy' approach with governments frays in Activision Blizzard battle By Matt O'Brien, Associated Press Microsoft's charm offensive with the world's governments is starting to lose some of its luster as the software giant is confronting its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge. Continue reading
Apr 27 Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was tricked by fake call from Russia pranksters By Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was tricked into an extended phone call in January with Russian pranksters posing as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Powell appeared to discuss the impact of interest rate hikes. Continue reading
Apr 27 Unemployment claims keep falling as labor market remains strong By Matt Ott, Associated Press Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell last week as the labor market continues to show strength despite some weakness in other parts of the economy. Continue reading
Apr 26 Here's what's in the GOP bill to lift the U.S. debt limit By Kevin Freking, Associated Press The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law, but Republicans hope it will force Biden to the negotiating table on the debt limit. Continue reading