US defense chief calls China's refusal to meet unfortunate during visit to Tokyo for talks

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart is refusing to meet him at an upcoming annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending. ...

After sailing though House on bipartisan vote, Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal now goes to Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veering away from a default crisis, the House overwhelmingly approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, sending the deal that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated to the Senate for swift passage in a matter of days, before a fast-approaching deadline....

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and...

House OKs bill to raise debt ceiling, avoid default as bargain between Biden and McCarthy wins bipartisan support

Federal Reserve likely to skip interest rate hike at next meeting in June, officials signal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leading Federal Reserve officials are sending out stronger signals that they will forego an interest rate increase at the central bank's next meeting in June, though they indicate hikes could resume later this year. “Skipping a rate hike at a coming meeting...

Highly decorated Marine officer nominated to be next commandant

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer who has been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next Marine Corps commandant. The nomination of Gen. Eric Smith, now the assistant commandant, had been widely expected and has...

Debt limit deal heads to vote in full House while McCarthy scrambles for GOP approval

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from conservatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked furiously Tuesday to sell fellow Republicans on the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden and win approval in time to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default. ...

Here's what's in, what's out of the debt limit bill to avert US default

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been working the phones in an intense push to sell Congress on the 99-page bill that would suspend the nation's debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. The...

With vocabulary more important than ever, National Spelling Bee requires different prep

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Navneeth Murali would strongly prefer for the Scripps National Spelling Bee to get rid of the onstage, multiple-choice vocabulary questions that were introduced to the competition two years ago. “It's sort of hit or miss, the onstage vocab format, and it's...

North Carolina senator pushing medical marijuana bill describes smoking pot during cancer fight

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly's chief advocate for legalizing medical marijuana in the state revealed publicly on Tuesday how he smoked pot over 20 years ago to withstand discomforts of intense chemotherapy during a fight with cancer. Sen. Bill Rabon of...