Experts believe California's decision to default on the $18.6 billion debt would burden employers

Following the new can be relentlessly depressing, so much that some people use that as an excuse for avoiding it

A refurbishing effort will breathe new life into Anchorage’s oldest standing building, a simple Russian Orthodox log church dating from the era of Russia’s colonization of Alaska

President Joe Biden touted his economic record amid continuing dissatisfaction among Americans with the state of the US economy, by saying his policies have proven effective. Mr Biden delivered a fiery speech on Wednesday in Chicago where he sought to flip a term that the Wall Street Journal has used against him – Bidenomics – into a positive. “I didn’t come up with the name, I really didn’t, I’m not offended by it,” he said. “I’m happy to call it Bidenomics.” The president, who is seeking re-election in 2024, said that the US economy has largely recovered from the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Guess what? Bidenomics is working,” he said to applause. “When I took office, the pandemic was raging and the economy was reeling. Supply chains were broken. Millions of people were unemployed.” Despite low unemployment, many Americans continue to see inflation as a top priority. A survey from the Pew Research Center last week showed that 52 per cent of Democrats and 77 per cent of Republicans say inflation is still a “very big problem.” Mr Biden sought to soothe those concerns by saying he continues to prioritise lowering prices and noted how inflation is less than half of what it was one year ago. “Bringing down inflation remains one of my top priorities today,” he said. Mr Biden also mentioned the progress that his signature Inflation Reduction Act has made, such as allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. “We’ve been trying to get this done for decades and this time we finally beat big pharma for the first time,” he said. Mr Biden also touted how the law is aiding red states like West Virginia, the home of conservative Democratic Sen Joe Manchin, who has vocally criticised the Biden administration’s implementation of the law as he weighs whether to seek re-election in a staunchly Republican state. The president also touted the expansion of rural broadband, specifically naming Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who opposed the measure previously. “To no one’s surprise, it’s bringing along some converts,” he said. “People strenuously opposed voting against it when we had this going on. This was going to bankrupt America.” Mr Biden’s speech is one of his first outlining his economic doctrine as he seeks to create a contrast between himself and Republican presidential candidates. “This vision is a fundamental break from the economic theory that has failed America's middle class for decades: It’s called trickle-down economics,” he said, describing the economic theory that argues that cutting taxes for the wealthiest individuals and corporations would lead to wealth spreading to the middle-class and low-income Americans. “The trickle-down approach failed the middle class. It failed America.” He also sought to show that he could accomplish what his predecessor and would-be 2024 challenger former president Donald Trump could not achieve by passing the bipartisan infrastructure law. “Remember infrastructure week? Infrastructure week became infrastructure week and week and week and it never happened,” he said, a reference to the fact that the Trump administration regularly touted “infrastructure week.” “We got infrastructure decade done right off the bat.” Mr Biden also planned to continue to shore up cash for his re-election effort and shortly after the event, headed to a fundraiser at the J.W. Marriott’s Grand Ballroom that same day. Read More What next for Biden’s billion dollar broadband expansion? Watch as Biden makes statement on economic policy in Chicago US public debt is projected to reach 181% of American economic activity in 30 years Watch as Biden makes statement on economic policy in Chicago Cambodian leader Hun Sen, a huge Facebook fan, says he is jumping ship to Telegram

KAMPALA Uganda's Constitutional Court on Monday took a first step toward hearing a challenge to an anti-gay law

Zaporizhzhia residents braved grey skies and driving rain to visit the banks of the Dnipro, not to relax in riverside bars and resorts, but to...

Tucker Carlson ridiculed his former employer Fox News and Democrats over the broadcaster’s chyron that briefly described Joe Biden as a “wannabe dictator”. Releasing the fourth episode of his Twitter show Tucker on Twitter on Thursday, Carlson questioned the apology tendered by Fox News following the gaffe. He likened Mr Biden’s personality to that of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, North Korea’s Kim Il-sung and Romania’s tyrannical communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. “But why were they angry? If the banner on Fox was false? Why the hysteria?” asked Carlson in his show that was launched as a counter to his Fox primetime slot after being forced to resign. On Tuesday night, Fox News broadcasted a chyron – a caption superimposed over the lower part of a video image – beneath split-screen videos that showed Donald Trump addressing supporters live in New Jersey and Mr Biden speaking at the White House earlier in the day. “Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested,” read the chyron. Fox News said the “chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed”. Carlson claimed the Fox News producer responsible for the chyron resigned. “Those words were up for less than 30 seconds, but the effect was immediate. Inside Fox, the women who run the network panicked,” he said in his long rant. He said the channel “scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen” and claimed the producer later resigned. He questioned why Democrats reacted to the chyron with anger. “But why were they angry? If the banner on Fox was false? Why the hysteria? Lies don’t seem to bother anyone anymore. If some cable news producer had called Joe Biden a genius or accused him of being secretly Sudanese, would anyone be yelling about it?” Carlson said. “Would Fox News have apologized for it? Probably not. But calling Joe Biden a wannabe dictator, that stung.” In a mocking tone, Carlson proceeded to enumerate the various ways in which Mr Biden “could never be” considered a dictator. He sarcastically referred to government surveillance of phones and bank accounts, as well as a purported suppression of “peaceful protests” such as the events that unfolded during the Jan 6 riot. The comments come as Daily Beast reported that Fox News producer Alexander McCaskill had parted ways with the network. Fox News has sent Carlson a cease and desist letter ordering him to stop releasing shows on Twitter. Fox’s attorneys wrote to Carlson demanding he stop posting Tucker on Twitter videos, the first two episodes of which attracted a combined 169 million views. The right-wing network has been locked in a bitter contractual dispute with its former primetime anchor since he left in the aftermath of the $787m Dominion Voting Systems pay out in April. Read More Fox News cuts off White House briefing just as ‘wannabe dictator’ Biden chyron mentioned White House condemns Fox News chyron calling Biden ‘wannabe dictator’ as broadcaster walks back accusation Tucker Carlson spins new conspiracy on Trump’s arrest as his new Twitter rant defies Fox threat AP News Digest 3 am Trump's promise of payback for prosecution follows years of attacking democratic traditions Biden is returning to his union roots as his 2024 campaign gears up

Travelers, considered a bellwether for the insurance industry due to its size, said catastrophe losses doubled in its most recent quarter and the company swung to a loss as severe wind and hail storms in a number of regions led to rising coverage claims

ROME The U.N. food agency said on Friday that "severe fuel shortages" may force it to stop supplying

Speaking for the first time, Kar Hao Teoh's family tells how he was shot dead in South Africa.

Just 7,100 votes separated incumbent George Weah and challenger Joseph Boakai in the first round.

An Arizona woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to kill her estranged husband by poisoning his daily coffee for months - while he used hidden cameras to catch her in the act. Melody Felicano Johnson was indicted by a Tucson grand jury on charges of first-degree attempted murder (domestic violence), attempting to commit aggravated assault (domestic violence) and poisoning food or drink, according to court documents obtained by KVOA. She pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Friday. Prosecutors say the plot to poison her husband Roby Johnson, a member of the US Air Force, began back in March when he noticed a strange smell in his coffee. The couple, who share a child and were living together while going through a divorce, were stationed in Germany at the time. A few weeks later, Roby Johnson investigated his suspicions with pool testing strips, which showed high levels of chlorine in the coffee pot, the indictment states. In May, he placed hidden cameras that allegedly captured Melody Johnson pouring something into the coffee maker. Roby Johnson reportedly told investigators that he pretended to drink the coffee until the couple returned in June to the US, where he was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. He then set up multiple hidden cameras again to catch her in the act. The footage showed Melody Johnson “take bleach, pour it into a container and then walk over and pour it into the coffee maker”, the indictment states. An official investigation was launched after Roby Johnson turned the footage over to police as he filed a report. He told investigators he believed Melody Johnson wanted to kill him to collect his death benefits. Melody Johnson is currently being held in the Pima County Jail on $250,000 bond after prosecutors convinced a judge she poses a flight risk, having recently purchased a house in the Philippines near her family. Her next court appearance is scheduled for 6 September.