AP National Business

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes gave Americans a little bit of relief last month, though overall inflation is still running at close to its highest level in four decades. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press Research that analyzed social media posts finds that hateful references to gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ people surged online after Florida passed a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. References to pedophiles and “grooming” rose by more than 400 percent in

By DANIEL NIEMANN and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — German officials say water levels on the Rhine River could reach a critically low point in the coming days, making the transport of goods along the river increasingly difficult. Weeks of dry weather have turned several of Europe’s major waterways into trickles, posing

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s economy minister says oil shipments from Russia through a critical pipeline to several European countries have resumed after a problem over transit payments was resolved. Russian state pipeline operator Transneft said Tuesday it halted shipments through the southern branch of a pipeline through Ukraine to the

By STAN CHOE and DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street roared Wednesday after inflation cooled more than expected last month, sparking speculation the Federal Reserve may not have to be as aggressive about hiking interest rates as feared. The S&P 500 was 1.9% higher amid a widespread rally that

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump showed up Wednesday for questioning under oath in New York’s civil investigation into his business practices. But he quickly made clear he wouldn’t be answering. The ex-president issued a statement saying he had done nothing wrong but was invoking the Fifth Amendment’s

By MICHAEL BALSAMO, MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings, the former president said in a statement. About an hour after

By DANIEL NIEMANN and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Officials in Germany said Wednesday that water levels on the Rhine could reach a critically low point in coming days, making the transport of goods along the river — including coal and gasoline — increasingly difficult. Weeks of dry weather have turned several

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street after the government reported inflation eased slightly last month. The S&P 500 is up 1.6% just after the opening bell Wednesday. The Nasdaq and Dow Jones industrials are also up strongly. The Labor Department reported that U.S. inflation in July eased to 8.5% from

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission says it’s winding up years of surveillance of Greek government spending. The move, on Aug. 20, will mark a formal end to a major crisis that threatened to see Greece ejected from the euro single currency group. It also imposed severe hardship imposed on Greek citizens and created a

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was being questioned under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings as a flurry of legal activity surrounds the former president. Trump’s testimony comes just days after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes helped give Americans a slight break from the pain of high inflation last month, though overall price increases slowed only modestly from a four-decade high that was reached in June. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s finance minister says the government plans to make tax cuts worth more than 10 billion euros ($10.2 billion) to benefit broad sections of the population squeezed by high energy costs and inflation. Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Wednesday that about 48 million people in Germany would profit from changes to the

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street headed for strong gains before the opening bell Wednesday after the government reported inflation eased slightly last month, but remained high enough to be an issue of concern at the Federal Reserve. Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 1.8% and 1.3% on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of Sept. 25 parliamentary elections, insists she won’t be a danger to democracy if she becomes premier, contending that the Italian political right has “unambiguously” condemned the legacy of fascism. She also dismissed as “nonsense”

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Falling gas prices gave Americans a slight break from the pain of high inflation last month, though the surge in overall prices slowed only modestly from the four-decade high it reached in June. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government

BEIJING (AP) — China is criticizing a U.S. law to encourage processor chip production in the United States and reduce reliance on Asian suppliers as a threat to trade and an attack on Chinese business. The law signed this week by President Joe Biden promises grants and other aid to investors in U.S. chip factories.

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is due Wednesday to face questioning under oath in New York’s civil investigation into his business practices. But will he answer? The ex-president’s lawyer has indicated that he will advise Trump to stay mum and invoke the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reshuffled his Cabinet in a bid to distance his administration from the conservative Unification Church over its ties to the assassinated leader Shinzo Abe and senior ruling party members. The reshuffle was the second in just 10 months since Kishida took