WASHINGTON — With inflation edging closer to the Federal Reserve's 2% target, its policymakers are facing — and in some cases fueling — hopes that they will make a decisive shift in policy and cut interest rates next year, possibly as soon as spring. Such a move would reduce borrowing costs across...
The NRA Has a Surprising Defender in Its Free Speech Case Before the Supreme Court: The ACLU
NEW YORK — In a case of politics making strange bedfellows, the National Rifle Association will be represented by frequent nemesis the American Civil Liberties Union in an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York-based civil liberties group confirmed Saturday that it would provide legal representation for the gun-rights group...
Elon Musk Reverses X Ban of Online Provocateur Who Called School Shooting a Hoax
Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that came out in favor of the Infowars host who repeatedly called the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax. It poses new uncertainty for advertisers, who...
Holiday Crowds at Airports and on Highways Are Expected to Be Even Bigger Than Last Year
More Americans are expected to fly or drive far from home over Christmas than did last year, putting a cap on a busy year for travel. Auto club AAA forecast Monday that 115.2 million people will go 50 miles or more from home during the 10 days between Dec. 23...
McCarthy Endorses Trump for President and Would Consider Serving in His Cabinet
WASHINGTON — Retiring Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the ousted former House speaker, said he is endorsing Donald Trump for president and would consider serving in his Cabinet if the GOP front-runner were to win back the White House. McCarthy had a rocky relationship with the former president, notably when he declined to...
Smugglers Are Bringing Migrants to a Remote Arizona Border Crossing, Overwhelming US Agents
LUKEVILLE, Ariz. — Gerston Miranda and his wife were among thousands of migrants recently arriving at this remote area on Arizona's southern border with Mexico, squeezing into the United States through a gap in the wall and walking overnight about 14 miles (23 kilometers) with two school-aged daughters to surrender...
Battles Rage Across Gaza as Israel Indicates It’s Willing to Fight for Months or More to Beat Hamas
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory's Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with...
Biden Goes Into 2024 With the Economy Getting Stronger, but Voters Feel Horrible About It
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden goes into next year's election with a vexing challenge: Just as the U.S. economy is getting stronger, people are still feeling horrible about it. Pollsters and economists say there has never been as wide a gap between the underlying health of the economy and public perception. The divergence...
Some Californians Released From Prison Will Receive $2,400 Under New State Re-Entry Program
LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of Californians released from prisons could receive direct cash payments of $2,400 — along with counseling, job search assistance and other support — under a first-in-the-nation program aimed at easing the transition out of incarceration and reducing recidivism. Program Details Recipients will get the money over...
Federal Judge Prohibits Separating Migrant Families at US Border for 8 Years
SAN DIEGO — A federal judge on Friday prohibited the separation of families at the border for purposes of deterring immigration for eight years, preemptively blocking resumption of a lightning-rod, Trump-era policy that the former president hasn’t ruled out if voters return him to the White House next year. The...