Major law firm reaches deal with Trump to avoid White House order even as two other firms sue
WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent international law firm reached a deal with President Donald Trump on Friday to dedicate at least $100 million in free legal services and to review its hiring practices, averting a punishing executive order like the ones directed at nearly a half-dozen other major legal institutions in recent weeks. The deal with Skadden, […]
Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major overhaul, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient […]
Barkin: Trump policies are creating feelings of instability
Changes in federal government policy have created a sense of instability, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday when discussing the year’s economic outlook. During a lecture at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, he said that at the end of 2024, businesses were “overwhelmingly optimistic” and conditions looked “rosy.” […]
Global automakers say Trump’s tariffs will be painful for them and US consumers
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Whatever domestic economic gain comes from U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 25% tax on imported cars – and experts are skeptical – automakers around the world are bracing for a lot of pain. In Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and across Europe, the world’s largest automakers employ millions of people whose livelihoods depend […]
Energy Department extends contract for operator of Jefferson Lab
The Department of Energy announced Thursday that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has approved a 12-month extension of the contract for Jefferson Science Associates to continue managing and operating the Jefferson Lab in Newport News. Jefferson Science Associates is a limited liability company created by the Southeastern Universities Research Association. Its contract was initially set […]
U.S. economy grew 2.4% in the 4th quarter after upgrade in final growth estimate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy expanded at a healthy annual 2.4% pace the final three months of 2024, supported by a year-end surge in consumer spending, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its previous estimate of fourth-quarter growth. But it’s unclear whether the United States can sustain that growth as President Donald Trump wages […]
Canada is not our enemy, Kaine says
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia’s junior Democratic senator, feels strongly that Canada doesn’t pose a national security threat to the United States — a contrast to President Donald Trump, who has threatened the Great White North with tariffs as retaliation for what he says are insufficient efforts at keeping drugs from coming across its border. […]
US cities located in states won by Trump would be most hurt by Canadian tariffs, an analysis finds
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. cities most vulnerable to a trade war with Canada turn out to largely be in the states that helped return Donald Trump to the White House — a sign of the possible political risk he’s taking with his tariff plans. A new analysis released Thursday by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce detailed […]
Stock market today: Wall Street slips following Trump’s latest tariffs, despite solid economic data
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street edged lower Thursday after getting pulled in opposite directions as President Donald Trump’s latest tariff escalation creates winners and losers among auto stocks. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% after drifting between small gains and losses several times through the day. Better-than-expected data on the economy also helped support the market. The Dow Jone[...]
Federal judge struggles with scope of relief for fired workers
BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland said Wednesday he will at least briefly extend a temporary order requiring the Trump administration to bring back federal workers who were fired as part of a dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, but the judge said he was struggling with the scope of a broad order. U.S. District […]
Copper prices have soared as the US threatens tariffs on the metal and China boosts its economy
NEW YORK (AP) — Copper prices have hit record highs as an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and its key trading partners threatens to squeeze supplies of the vital metal. Buyers in the U.S. have been stocking up on copper ahead of potential tariffs. Future prices for the base metal hit $5.21 per pound […]
Trump places 25% tariffs on auto imports
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains. “This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll effectively be charging a […]