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A California law approved by voters in 2018 that promises to get breeding pigs out of narrow cages will technically take effect Saturday DES MOINES, Iowa -- A California law approved by voters that promises to get breeding pigs out of narrow cages that prevent them from standing or turning will finally take effect Saturday, after years of delays and warnings that the rules could lead to price spikes and pork shortages. But it will be six months before California grocery shoppers can be sure that pork chops they buy under the new law will be from a pig whose mother wasn’t confined in a so-called gestation crate. That’s because while the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, the state recently agreed to allow pork slaughtered before July 1 to be sold in California markets and restaurants for the rest of the year. That decision gives farmers and grocery stores time to adjust. But it's exasperating to supporters of the new rules that the effect ive implementation of the law would again ...

Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. Health officials recommended Thursday. The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available. Those eligible for the RSV vaccine should talk with their doctor to see if it is right for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The CDC said adults with chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems and those living in long-term care facilities are at higher risk for the respiratory infection. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and the elderly. A surge last year filled hospitals with wheezing children. There's no vaccine yet for kids, but one for pregnant women to prevent illness in infant...

A New York appeals court dismissed Ivanka Trump on Tuesday from a wide-ranging fraud lawsuit brought against her father and his company last year by the state’s attorney general NEW YORK -- A New York appeals court dismissed Ivanka Trump on Tuesday from a wide-ranging fraud lawsuit brought against her father and his company last year by the state's attorney general . The civil lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accused former President Donald Trump of padding his net worth by billions of dollars and misleading banks, insurance companies and others about the value of his assets, including golf courses and the Mar-a-Lago estate. It named his three eldest children -- Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump -- as defendants, along with multiple Trump Organization executives. In a ruling on Tuesday, the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court dismissed the claims against Ivanka Trump, ruling that they were barred by the state's statute of limitations...

A three-year pause on federal student loan payments will soon end regardless of how the Supreme Court rules this week on a White House plan to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt NEW YORK -- A three-year pause on federal student loan payments will soon end regardless of how the Supreme Court rules this week on a White House plan to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt. The conservative-leaning court seems poised to strike down President Joe Biden's plan, which would erase $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those with incomes below $125,000 a year or households that earn less than $250,000. He also wants to cancel an additional $10,000 for those who received federal Pell Grants to attend college. Payments that were paused because of COVID will resume in the fall no matter what, but an estimated 43 million borrowers could see their balances decreased or erased altogether if the court decides the plan can go ahead. Student loan interest will start accrui...

Japan has joined the United States and Australia in signing an agreement on a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its i... TOKYO -- Japan announced Tuesday that it joined the United States and Australia in signing an agreement on a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its influence. The approximately 2,250-kilometer (1,400-mile) undersea cable will connect the state of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, Tarawa in Kiribati and Nauru to the existing cable landing point located in Pohnpei in Micronesia, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Japan, the United States and Australia have stepped up cooperation with the Pacific Islands, apparently to counter efforts by Beijing to expand its security and economic i N...

The French government says that Zambia has reached a deal with China and several other government creditors to restructure $6.3 billion in loans PARIS -- Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure $6.3 billion in loans , the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris. The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China — Zambia's biggest creditor at $4.1 billion of the total. The deal, announced by officials who spoke anonymously in accordance with the French government's customary practices, may provide a roadmap for how China will handle restructuring deals with other nation s in debt distress. The Inter nation al Monetary Fund approved the deal, meaning it’s going to allow Zambia to receive more financing from the institution, the French said. A representative from the IMF did not immediately respond to a request for c...

Southwest Airlines is making progress in contract talks with one union but suffering a setback with another DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines has reached agreement on a new labor contract with its mechanics just days after the flight attendants ’ union reject ed a company proposal. Southwest said Friday that a tentative new contract with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association would give its mechanics industry-leading compensation. Across the airline industry, revenue is rising as travel recovers from the pandemic. Unions are pushing airlines for better pay and benefits, even raising the threat of strikes to make their case. At Southwest, leaders of the union representing more than 18,000 flight attendants voted this week to reject a tentative contract that its own negotiators reached with the Dallas airline and the help of federal mediators. The company said the deal would have raised pay 15%. The flight attendants are working under wages and other terms contained in a contract ...

Stocks are drifting on Wall Street after central banks around the world showed they’re not done cranking interest rates higher in their fight against inflation NEW YORK -- Stocks are drifting on Wall Street Thursday after central banks around the world showed they're not done cranking interest rates higher in their fight against inflation. The S &P 500 was 0.2% higher in afternoon trading after wobbling through the day. The majority of stocks in the benchmark index were slipping, but gains from some big technology stocks countered losses elsewhere. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 21 points, or 0.1%, to 33,930, and the Nasdaq was 0.6% higher, as of 2 p.m. Eastern. The Bank of England hiked its main interest rate by a bigger margin than expected to a 15-year high. Central banks in Norway, Switzerland and Turkey also raised borrowing rates. In the United States, meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated his belief that inflation is still too high and that fur...

Charitable giving in the United States declined in 2022 -- only the fourth time in four decades that donations did not increase year over year -- according to the Giving USA report released Tuesday NEW YORK -- Charitable giving in the United States declined in 2022 -- only the fourth time in four decades that donations did not increase year over year -- according to the Giving USA report released Tuesday. Total giving fell 3.4% in 2022 to $499.3 billion in current dollars, a drop of 10.5% when adjusted for i NFL ation. The decline comes at a time when many nonprofits, especially ones providing services to those in need, report an increase in requests for help. However, Josh Birkholz, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation, which publishes the report and provides data and insights about donation trends, said the results are actually much better than they could have been considering the tough economic climate of late 2022. “I go back and forth on whether it’s encouraging or discouraging...

Finland has sworn in a new coalition government that is seen as the most right-wing one in the Nordic country’s modern history HELSINKI -- Finland, which recently became NATO's 31st member , swore in a new coalition government Tuesday that is considered the most right -wing one in the Nordic country ’s modern History . President Sauli Niinistö appointed the 19-member Cabinet of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the leader of the conservative National Coalition Party, after Finnish lawmakers approved the lineup of ministers. The National Coalition Party won the most seats in an April 2 parliamentary election. Following seven weeks of coalition talks, the party announced a deal to form a government with three other parties, including the far-right, euroskeptic Finns Party. The two junior partners in the coalition are the Christian Democrats and the Swedish People’s Party of Finland. Due to the dominance of the two senior partner parties, Finnish media described Orpo’s government as “nat...

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has started a visit to Germany and France, his first trip abroad since taking office earlier this year BERLIN -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has started a visit to Germany and France that comes as Europe seeks to balance concerns over economic dependence on China and about its stance toward Ukraine and Taiwan with a desire to engage Beijing on issues such as climate change. Li, on his first trip abroad since taking office, was received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday. He and a large delegation of Chinese ministers will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their German counterparts on Tuesday, the seventh time the two countries have held such government consultations. Top officials from both sides also will meet Business representatives. Li, a former Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, took office in March as China's No. 2 official. It was part of a once-a-decade change of government that installed loyalists of Chinese leader Xi Jinpi...

From the ashes of World War II, three institutions were created as linchpins of a new global order UNITED NATIONS -- From the ashes of World War II, three institutions were created as linchpins of a new global order. Now, in an unusual move, the top official in one — the secretary-general of the United Nations — is pressing for major changes in the other two. Antonio Guterres says the International Monetary Fund has benefited rich countries instead of poor ones. And he describes the IMF and World Bank ’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a “glaring failure” that left dozens of countries deeply indebted. Guterres’ criticism , in a recent paper, isn’t the first time he’s called for overhauling global financial institutions. But it is his most in-depth analysis of their problems, cast in light of their response to the pandemic, which he called a “stress test” for the organizations. His comments were issued ahead of meetings called by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursd...

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has signed into law a $380 million public financing package to help build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip RENO, Nev. -- Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed into law Thursday a $380 million public financing package to help build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip as MLB's commissioner outlined a months-long approval process for the A's proposed move there. The first-term Republican governor and former sheriff in Las Vegas said he was excited to sign the measure the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved Wednesday night after a seven-day long special session. “This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada,” Lombardo said in a statement from Carson City. The $1.5 billion stadium with a retractable roof is planned near the homes of the NFL’s Vegas Raiders, who fled Oakland in 2020, and the NHL’s Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup this week in ju...