WASHINGTON — U.S. employers slowed their hiring in July but still added a solid 164,000 jobs to an economy that appears poised to extend its decade-long expansion. The unemployment rate remained at 3.7% for a second straight month, the government said Friday. Average hourly earnings rose 3.2% from a year...
Impeachment Watch: Nearly Half of House Dems Support Inquiry
WASHINGTON — Nearly half the House Democrats now support an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump — a milestone but still probably not enough to push Speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch proceedings. A tally by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed 114 Democrats in the House, and one Republican-turned independent,...
After 'Send Her Back!' Chant, Ohio Rally a Test for Trump
CINCINNATI — President Donald Trump's latest rally will be a test for both candidate and crowd. The Cincinnati gathering Thursday night will be Trump's first since his audience chanted "Send her back!" about a Somali-born congresswoman during a July rally in North Carolina, raising the prospect of a 2020 presidential campaign...
Fed Cuts Key Rate in Its First Reduction in More Than Decade
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for the first time in a decade to try to counter threats ranging from uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump's trade wars to chronically low inflation and a dim global outlook. The Fed also repeated a pledge to "act...
Debate Takeaways: Should 2020 Democrats Go Big or Get Real?
DETROIT — Should Democrats be going big or getting real? That's the question that dominated the Democratic presidential primary debate as progressive favorites Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders fended off attacks from lesser-known moderates. The display amounted to a sometimes testy public airing of the party's anxieties about how far...
Trump Administration, Democrats Make Progress on New NAFTA
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats appear to be moving from "no way" to "maybe" on President Donald Trump's rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. House Democrats have met four times with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, most recently on Friday, and both sides say they are making progress...
Presidents Have Made Racist Gestures Throughout US History
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — When President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for describing a majority-black congressional district as a "rat and rodent infested mess" and for tweets targeting four Democratic congresswomen of color, it was not the first time a U.S. president attracted such attention. Throughout American history, presidents have uttered...
New Video From Iran Shows Guard Warning Away British Warship
TEHRAN, Iran — In video released Monday, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer is heard telling a British warship not to interfere or put their "life in danger" as the paramilitary force, using speedboats and a helicopter, seized a U.K.-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. The...
In Fundraising Surge, Vulnerable House Democrats Bank Cash
WASHINGTON — The Republican pathway for recapturing House control in next year's election charges straight through the districts of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, especially freshmen. Judging from early but formidable cash advantages those lawmakers have amassed, ousting them won't be easy. Each of the 62 freshmen House Democrats has raised more...
Trump Steps up Attack on Black Lawmaker, Calls Him 'Racist'
WASHINGTON — Facing growing accusations of racism for his incendiary tweets, President Donald Trump lashed out at his critics Monday and sought to deflect the criticism by labeling a leading black congressman as himself racist. In the latest rhetorical shot at lawmakers of color, Trump said his weekend comments referring...