How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was advice that Mitch McConnell had offered to Joe Biden once already: To resolve the debt limit standoff, he needed to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and McCarthy alone. But after the first meeting of the top four congressional leaders with the president...

US employers added a strong 339,000 jobs in May as labor market stays durable

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool. Friday's report from the government showed that the...

White House wants to engage Russia on nuclear arms control in post-treaty world

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is ready to have talks with Russia without preconditions about a future nuclear arms control framework even as it is enacting countermeasures in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend the last nuclear arms control treaty between the...

Editorial Roundup: New England

Hearst Connecticut Media. June 1, 2023. Editorial: Allow Parole Board to do its job For a place that is well down the list of most dangerous states in America (near the bottom, by most accounts), crime accounts for an outsize share of public debate in Connecticut....

Just days to spare, Senate gives final approval to debt ceiling deal, sending it to Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President Joe Biden's desk to become law before the fast-approaching deadline. ...

Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is nothing if not a political survivor. Underestimated from the start, the Republican who cruised around his California hometown of Bakersfield and stumbled into a career in Congress was never taken too seriously by the Washington...

US reopens embassy in Seychelles after 27-year absence

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has reopened its embassy in the Seychelles after a 27-year absence during which China and other U.S. rivals made significant inroads in the Indian Ocean islands. The U.S. State Department announced the move late Thursday, after having unveiled...

US, Taiwan sign trade deal over China's opposition

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States signed a trade agreement Thursday with Taiwan over opposition from China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory. The two governments say the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will strengthen commercial...

Senate passes bill to raise debt ceiling, staving off default just days before deadline; Biden expected to sign quickly

Saban goes to Washington: Alabama coach set to lead SEC contingent on lobbying trip

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — Alabama's Nick Saban is among a contingent of coaches and administrators from the Southeastern Conference scheduled to meet with lawmakers in Washington next week to make a case for a federal assistance in regulating how college athletes can earn money off their fame. ...