NEWS

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 18, 2024 World Bank’s Banga wants to make gains in tackling the effects of climate change, poverty and war WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a full agenda for Ajay Banga as he nears the end of his first year as World Bank president. The bank and the International Monetary Fund are holding their spring meetings in Washington this week, and Banga is highlighting new initiatives to expand access to health care and electricity across the globe. He says in an Associated Press interview that the challenges of poverty, conflict and climate change are creating a perfect storm and […]

AP- News April 18, 2024 House leaders toil to advance Ukraine and Israel aid. But threats to oust speaker grow WASHINGTON (AP) — House congressional leaders were toiling on a delicate, bipartisan push towards weekend votes to approve a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as several other national security policies. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson this week set in motion a plan to advance the package, which has been stymied in Congress since October of last year by a bulk of GOP lawmakers resistant to approving more funding for Ukraine’s fight against […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 19, 2024 Bitcoin’s next ‘halving’ is right around the corner. Here’s what you need to know NEW YORK (AP) — Sometime in the next few days or even hours, the “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are going to take a 50% pay cut — effectively slicing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency in half. That could have a lot of implications, from the price of the asset to the day-to-day operations of bitcoin miners themselves. And, as with everything in the cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. Beyond its infamous volatility, bitcoin […]

AP- News April 19, 2024 Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An apparent Israeli drone attack on a major air base near the central city of Isfahan activated Iranian air defenses. The strike early Friday came just days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel. Speaking at the G7 meeting in Capri, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the U.S. received “last-minute” information from Israel about the attack on Isfahan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not dispute that immediately after Tajani’s remarks, but said: […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 22, 2024 Stock market today: Wall Street climbs to kick off a big week for earnings reports NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks have clawed back some of their losses from last week. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Monday to recover more than a quarter of last week’s rout. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.1%. Technology stocks led the way as yields stabilized in the bond market. Bank stocks were also strong following better profits than expected from Truist Financial and others. They helped offset a drop for Tesla, which […]

AP- News April 22, 2024 Israel’s military intelligence chief resigns over failure to prevent Hamas attack on Oct. 7 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The head of Israel’s military intelligence directorate has resigned over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, becomes the first senior Israeli figure to step down over the failures surrounding Hamas’ attack, which triggered the war in Gaza. It could set the stage for more resignations. Haliva said in October that he shouldered the blame for not preventing the attack, which broke through Israel’s vaunted defenses. Prime Minister Benjamin […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 23, 2024 These apps allow workers to get paid between paychecks. Experts say there are steep costs NEW YORK (AP) — More people are using so-called Earned Wage Access apps to get money to pay bills and buy groceries in between paydays. The typical user earns less than $50,000 a year, according to the Government Accountability Office, and has experienced the pinch of two years of high inflation. Proponents say the service helps those living paycheck to paycheck balance their budgets. Some consumer advocates and lawmakers say the fees and “tips” make Earned Wage Access comparable to […]

AP- News April 23, 2024 US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is paying a $138.7 million to settle more than 100 claims that it badly mishandled allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016. It was a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue preying on victims before his arrest. Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics. He’s serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including Olympians. For more than a year, FBI agents in […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 26, 2024 JPMorgan’s Dimon hopes for soft landing for US economy but says stagflation is a possible scenario NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he’s hopeful the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation without causing a recession but wouldn’t rule out more troubling possibilities, such as stagflation. In an interview with The Associated Press at a Chase branch opening in The Bronx, Dimon said he remained “cautious” about the U.S. economy and said inflation may be stickier for longer and that stagflation is on the list of possible things that could happen to the […]

AP- News April 26, 2024 As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protesters, others quickly call the police NEW YORK (AP) — Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war are digging in at Columbia University for a 10th day, part of a number of demonstrations roiling campuses from California to Massachusetts. Hundreds have been arrested across the nation, sometimes amid scuffles with police. In New York, Columbia is negotiating with student protesters who have rebuffed police and doubled down. Other schools have been quick to call law enforcement to douse demonstrations before they can take hold. Columbia officials have said they will seek […]

AP-Summary Brief-Business April 30, 2024 5 takeaways from the global negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The world’s nations finished a round of negotiations early Tuesday on a treaty to end plastic pollution and made more progress than they have in three prior meetings. Among the takeaways from the meeting, the talk shifted in Ottawa from sharing ideas to negotiating treaty language. Limiting how much plastic is manufactured globally is on the table. Work on the treaty will continue between now and the next meeting. Many traveled to Ottawa from communities affected by plastic […]

AP- News April 30, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — Standoffs between pro-Palestinian protesters and U.S. college administrators appear to be coming to a head. Columbia University in New York limited campus access after protesters took over a building early Tuesday. The school promised that they would face expulsion. Police moved to clear an encampment at Yale University in Connecticut. But at Northwestern University, near Chicago, school officials and protesters have reached agreement to allow demonstrations through the end of spring classes. Protesters on campuses nationwide are angry about the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll. Cease-fire negotiations appear to […]