The Fed cuts rates, but the path ahead is less clear
Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates Thursday, their second reduction of 2024 and the latest sign that policymakers believe that inflation is finally coming under control.
Devastated Democrats play the blame game, and stare at a dark future
MADISON, Wis. — A depressed and demoralized Democratic Party is beginning the painful slog into a largely powerless future, as its leaders grapple with how deeply they underestimated Donald Trump’s resurgent hold on the nation.
A party of prigs and pontificators suffers a humiliating defeat
A story in chess lore involves the great Danish-Jewish player Aron Nimzowitsch, who, at a tournament in the mid-1920s, found himself struggling against the German master Friedrich Sämisch. Infuriated at the thought of losing to an opponent he considered inferior, Nimzowitsch jumped on the table and shouted, “To this idiot I must lose?”
Four more years of unpredictability? The world prepares for Trump’s return
With Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory Tuesday, the world is now preparing for another four years of unpredictability and “America First” protectionism that could reset the ground rules of the global economy, empower autocrats and erase U.S. protection for democratic partners.
Stocks set records and dollar soars after Trump election win
Stocks surged to record highs, the dollar strengthened around the world, and government bond yields soared Wednesday, after a conclusive win by President-elect Donald Trump.
Rapidly moving brush fire in California burns homes and prompts evacuations
A rapidly burning brush fire in a Southern California community swept across more than 10,000 acres in a matter of hours Wednesday, burning homes and prompting residents to flee as firefighters battled fierce winds that could further fuel the blazes.
The ‘Super Bowl of Pickleball’ looks to grow the sport
Anna Leigh Waters, a 17-year-old from Delray Beach, Florida, is the world’s top-ranked pickleball player and is widely considered to be the face of America’s fastest-growing sport. But from where she stands, she is still relatively unknown, even among a majority of the racket sport’s fans.
Harris says she concedes the election, but not her fight
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris formally acknowledged her loss to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday in a defiant and emotional speech, defending her campaign as a fight for democracy that she would continue, even if not from the Oval Office.
Search for the missing in Spain grows desperate amid mud and confusion
MADRID — Some families in Spain were planning funerals Tuesday, days after their relatives’ bodies were found in the aftermath of floods that killed at least 217 people. Others were still waiting for news, caught between grief and the hope that a missing relative could still be alive somewhere in the muck.
Facing outrage, Nigeria drops capital charges against minors
Dozens of teenagers, some as young as 14, had been held for nearly three months in a squalid detention center that houses murder suspects. They faced treason charges and possible death sentences for alleged participation in protests against Nigeria’s government.
Israeli strikes target Syria for second day in a row
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Tuesday said its air force had struck targets in Syria for the second day in a row, attacks it said were aimed at cutting off the flow of weapons and intelligence between Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese group, and its sponsor, Iran.
Boeing’s strike is over. Its problems are not.
After nearly two months on strike, some 33,000 Boeing employees will return to work over the next week. But getting the troubled manufacturer back on track will take a lot longer.
Growing food instead of lawns in California front yards
On a corner lot in Leimert Park in dusty South Los Angeles, not far from Obama and Crenshaw boulevards, sits a curiosity that’s wildly different from all the neighboring grassy yards. Abundant and lush, it looks like a mash-up between a country idyll and something dreamed up by Dr. Seuss.
Republicans clinch control of the Senate
WASHINGTON — Republicans seized control of the Senate in Tuesday’s voting, picking up at least two Democratic seats and protecting their own embattled lawmakers to end four years of Democratic control.
Japan’s favorite snowy mountain finally has some snow
Mount Fuji looms large as Japan’s tallest mountain and one of its most enduring national symbols. Its snowy peak has inspired countless paintings and poems over the centuries, and more recently been featured on travel brochures and merchandise.
Trump claims ‘powerful mandate’ after Fox News projects he has won US presidency
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Republican Donald Trump claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.
Despite bomb threats and disinformation, a fairly smooth election
Americans navigated a fraught voting landscape on Election Day as a largely smooth voting process early in the day went on to be buffeted by bomb threats, widespread disinformation and unabated anxiety over the election system.
The science that makes baseball mud ‘magical’
If you looked closely at the baseballs used in the World Series last month, you would notice that they were covered in a mysterious brown substance.
Behind the election anger may be something else: Lingering COVID grief
LOS ANGELES — When Americans voted in the last presidential election, people were profoundly isolated from their friends and loved ones. Tens of millions of schoolchildren were still learning virtually, and office workers were hunkered down at home, experiencing the world through their smartphones and laptops.
A grim Trump and an upbeat Harris end the race hitting opposite notes
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris closed out their campaigns Monday in starkly different moods: The former president, appearing drained at arenas that were not filled, claimed that the country was on the brink of ruin, while the vice president promised a more united future as energized supporters chanted alongside her, “We’re not going back.”
