Today’s News
Trump to merge wildland firefighting programs
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Donald Trump last week ordered federal government officials to consolidate wildland firefighting into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes. The order aims to centralize firefighting efforts now split among five agencies and two Cabinet departments. Trump’s proposed budget for next year calls for the creation of a new Federal Wildland Fire Service under the U.S. [...]
Consumer sentiment rises for first time this year
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer sentiment increased in June for the first time in six months, the latest sign that Americans’ views of the economy have improved as inflation has stayed tame and the Trump administration has reached a truce in its trade dispute with China. The new preliminary reading of the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index jumped 16 percent from 52.2 to 60.5. The large increase followed steady drops that left the preliminary number [...]
Meta invests $14.3B in AI firm Scale, recruits its CEO for ‘superintelligence’ team
Meta is making a $14.3 billion investment in artificial-intelligence company Scale and recruiting its CEO Alexandr Wang to join a team developing “superintelligence” at the tech giant. The deal announced last week reflects a push by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to revive AI efforts at the parent company of Facebook and Instagram as it faces increased competition from rivals such as Google and OpenAI. Meta announced what it called a “strategic partnership and investment” with [...]
Federal government pulls out of river basin agreement; dams will remain in place
SEATTLE (AP) — President Donald Trump last week pulled the federal government out of an agreement with Washington, Oregon and four American Indian tribes to work together to restore salmon populations and boost tribal clean-energy development in the Pacific Northwest, deriding the plan as “radical environmentalism” that could have resulted in the breaching of four controversial dams on the Snake River. The deal, known as the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, was reached in late 2023 [...]
Long-term mortgage rate ticks down to 6.84 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell modestly for the second straight week, but home borrowing costs remain elevated. The long-term rate inched back to 6.84 percent from 6.85 percent a week ago, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.95 percent. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. [...]
U.S. House OKs bill to combat fentanyl trade
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation that would solidify federal policies cracking down on the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogs in a bid by lawmakers to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. The HALT Fentanyl Act makes permanent a 2018 emergency rule that classifies knockoffs of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances, which results in harsher sentences for possession of the drug. The bill passed the House 321-104 and now heads to [...]
JetZero plans to build $4.7B plant in N.C.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — JetZero Inc. announced plans to build its first manufacturing plant for a next-generation passenger jet in central North Carolina, a project that if successful would create more than 14,500 jobs there in a decade. The California-based startup intends to build the factory at Greensboro’s airport, investing $4.7 billion. The planned hirings from 2027 through 2036 would be the largest job commitment in North Carolina history, according to Gov. Josh Stein. The [...]
Utah senator proposes sale of 2 million acres of federal lands
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 2 million acres of federal lands would be sold or transferred to states or other entities under a budget proposal from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, reviving a longtime ambition of some to cede lands to local control after a similar proposal failed in the House. Lee, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, included a mandate for the sales in a draft provision of the GOP’s sweeping [...]
Trump blocks California’s ban on new gas cars
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a resolution that blocks California’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state quickly announced it was challenging the move in court, with California’s attorney general holding a news conference to discuss the lawsuit before Trump’s signing ceremony ended at the White House. The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country’s most aggressive attempt to phase out [...]
Ruling may make disability lawsuits against schools easier
WASHINGTON (AP) — A teenage girl with a rare form of epilepsy won a unanimous Supreme Court ruling last week that’s expected to make it easier for families of children with disabilities to sue schools over access to education. The girl’s family says that her Minnesota school district didn’t do enough to make sure she has the disability accommodations she needs to learn, including failing to provide adequate instruction in the evening when her seizures [...]
Legal News
Scammers are using AI to enroll fake students in online classes, then steal college financial aid
It was an unusual question coming from a police officer. Heather Brady was napping at home in San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon when the [...]
Lawsuit seeks to block sale of 23andMe personal data
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of personal genetic [...]
End of ban on forced-reset triggers results in lawsuit
Sixteen states have sued the Trump administration over its plan to allow the sale of forced-reset triggers that make semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly and [...]
Business News
GM to shift production from Mexico to the U.S.
General Motors has announced plans to invest $4 billion to shift some production from Mexico to American manufacturing plants as the automaker navigates new tariffs [...]
Ohio breweries add $1.29B to state’s economy
Ohio’s craft brewing industry delivered $1.29 billion to the state’s economy in 2024, according to the biennial economic impact report from the Ohio Craft Brewers [...]
Google offers buyouts to staff in latest cuts
Google has offered buyouts to staff in several divisions in a new round of cost cutting, according to reports from several news outlets. It’s not [...]
Real Estate
Amazon to spend $20B on data centers in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amazon said it will spend $20 billion on two data center complexes in Pennsylvania, including one it is building alongside a [...]
S.C. battery plant pauses construction
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Japanese company has halted construction on a $1.6 billion factory in South Carolina to help make batteries for electric BMWs, [...]
State awards $2 million for clean-up work, demolition of former Eastland Mall site
The state of Ohio has allocated $2 million for cleanup and remediation work at the site of the former Eastland Mall in Columbus. The money [...]
Politics
Framework announced on trade agreement with China
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump earlier this week announced that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a [...]
Justice Department says the president has authority to cancel national monuments
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s administration say he has the authority to abolish national monuments meant to protect historical and archaeological [...]
Gabbard says AI is speeding up intel work
WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is speeding up the work of America’s intelligence services, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said. Speaking to a technology [...]