AP

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Several Federal Reserve policymakers warned Thursday against cutting U.S. interest rates too soon or by too much in the wake of recent data showing inflation stayed unexpectedly high in January. Their comments echoed the minutes from the Fed’s last meeting in January, released Wednesday. The minutes showed that most central

By Associated Press NEW YORK — For Americans who lacked savings prior to the pandemic, financial stress is rising. A combination of inflation, increased interest rates, and the end of pandemic-tied relief, such as the moratorium on student loan payments, has led to record credit card debt, experts say. In the fourth quarter of 2023,

By Associated Press GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Bartender Catey Regis had a pricey misadventure buying a used car recently — an experience that speaks to why voters are worrying about the U.S. economy going into this year’s presidential election. Over three years at Founders Brewing, the 25-year-old saved enough money pouring IPAs, stouts and porters

By Associated Press JERUSALEM — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to gain new momentum Thursday as the White House said a visit by a senior envoy with Israeli leaders was “going well” and other mediators reported encouraging signs from the warring parties. The new signs of progress came ahead

By Associated Press AT&T said the hourslong outage to its U.S. cellphone network Thursday appeared not to be the result of a malicious attack. The outage knocked out cellphone service for thousands of its users across the U.S. starting early Thursday before it was restored. “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage

By Associated Press DENVER — Single mom Caitlyn Colbert watched as rent for her two-bedroom apartment doubled, then tripled and then quadrupled over a decade in Denver — from $750 to $3,374 last year. Every month, like millions of Americans, Colbert juggled her costs. Pay rent or swim team fees for one of her three

By Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. — Four foreign nationals were arrested and charged Thursday with transporting suspected Iranian-made weapons on a vessel intercepted by U.S. naval forces in the Arabian Sea last month. Two Navy SEALs died during the mission. The criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond alleges that the four

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — A former FBI informant who claims to have links to Russian intelligence and is charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family was again taken into custody Thursday in Las Vegas, two days after a judge released him, his attorneys said. Alexander Smirnov, 43,

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — The most populous county in Kansas has rejected demands from the local sheriff and the state’s attorney general to preserve old ballots and records longer than legally allowed, shredding materials sought for an election fraud investigation that has yet to result in any criminal charges. Johnson County in the

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican lawmakers on Thursday voted to make it harder to change the Missouri Constitution amid a campaign to restore abortion rights through a voter-backed constitutional amendment. Currently, Missouri constitutional changes are enacted if approved by a majority of votes statewide. State senators voted 22-9 along party lines to

By Associated Press Messi Mania returns to Major League Soccer as Lionel Messi embarks on his first full season with Inter Miami. But this year, there’s a twist. Inter Miami signed Luis Suarez in the offseason, reuniting the two close friends. The pair, along with former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, have made

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are signing punter Matt Araiza, who was dropped from a lawsuit in December that had been filed by a woman who alleged she was raped by San Diego State football players in 2021. The signing was announced by Araiza’s agent, Joe Linta, and confirmed

By Associated Press MESA, Ariz. — Catcher Shea Langeliers made a little space to set down a cup of coffee in his locker, then gingerly turned around, careful not to disturb the belongings of teammates JJ Bleday and Max Schuemann that were all crammed into a corner of Oakland’s spring training clubhouse. Playing for the

By Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a higher blend of ethanol throughout the year under a final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The biofuels industry and farming groups, with support of Midwest governors, sought the end of a summertime

By Associated Press FERGUSON, Mo. — A fire that killed a Missouri mother and four children was intentionally set by the mother, police said. St. Louis County police announced late Wednesday that a preliminary investigation ruled that the deaths of Bernadine “Birdie” Pruessner, her twin 9-year-old daughters Ivy and Lillie Pruessner, and her children 5-year-old

By Associated Press MARION, Iowa — An Iowa school board has reached an agreement resolving a lawsuit over a now-rescinded district policy that allowed students to request a gender support plan to begin socially transitioning at school, without the permission of their parents. Linn-Mar Community Schools’ insurance company will pay the plaintiffs, Parents Defending Education,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Women are far more likely than men to get autoimmune diseases, when an out-of-whack immune system attacks their own bodies — and new research may finally explain why. It’s all about how the body handles females’ extra X chromosome, Stanford University researchers reported Thursday — a finding that could lead

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Emily Hollenbeck lived with a deep, recurring depression she likened to a black hole, where gravity felt so strong and her limbs so heavy she could barely move. She knew the illness could kill her. Both of her parents had taken their lives. She was willing to try something

By Field Level Media Eric Hosmer officially ended his 13-season MLB career on Wednesday and announced the launch of his new media company, MoonBall Media. Hosmer, who won a World Series title with the Kansas City Royals in 2015, told Forbes his new business venture will include “original unscripted programming, a weekly podcast, social media

By Metro Creative There’s some truth to the popular notion that “laughter is the best medicine.” The United States Department of Veterans Affairs notes that laughter has physiological effects on the body that lead to changes in body chemistry and brain function. For example, laughter increases heart and respiratory rates and oxygen consumption over a

By Metro Creative Enjoying the cuisine of other countries is a popular reason to travel. Many foodies have found their love of food has taken them overseas, opening doors not only to international cuisine but international culture as well. For those who can’t afford or find the time to travel abroad, it’s easy to bring

By Associated Press Russia’s main domestic intelligence agency has arrested a woman with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship on charges of treason, accusing her of collecting money for the Ukrainian military. The Federal Security Service said in a statement early Tuesday that the Los Angeles resident was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON | President Joe Biden “never had any involvement” in the business dealings of other members of his family, his brother James Biden testified Wednesday when he appeared for a voluntary private interview on Capitol Hill as part of House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry. “I have had a 50-year career in a variety