<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump speaks about Dulles International Airport modernization, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington.<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n
A child rests his head on the coffin of a Popular Mobilization Forces fighter draped in the Iraqi flag during a funeral for Popular Mobilization Forces fighters killed in airstrikes on PMF bases in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, July 30, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anmar Khalil\/AP Photo\/Anmar Khalil<\/p>\n
FILE – A man sits on a surfboard as a container ship and other commercial vessels appear anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, July 27, 2026. (Razieh Poudat\/ISNA via AP, File)<\/p>\n
Razieh Poudat\/AP Photo\/Razieh Poudat<\/p>\n
The U.S. and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes took hold again and hope dimmed for any quick resolution. After a brief respite, the risk of a return to all-out war emerged once more, with the fighting threatening to engulf even more countries. Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Todd Blanche\u2019s nomination to become attorney general stalled Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump\u2019s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Most Americans say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, and Trump\u2019s approval rating on Iran has fallen slightly since last month, according to a new AP-NORC poll. The results are a stark repudiation of Trump\u2019s approach to the conflict, which has dragged on far longer than he originally predicted.<\/p>\n
US economy turns in sluggish 1.5% second-quarter growth and inflation remains above Fed target<\/p>\n
The U.S. economy expanded at a sluggish 1.5% pace from April through June as rising imports weighed on growth. But consumer spending rose. And the Federal Reserve\u2019s favored measure of inflation grew more slowly last month, by 3.7%, but remained above the central bank\u2019s 2% target.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that growth in U.S. gross domestic product \u2014 the nation\u2019s output of goods and services \u2014 decelerated from 2.1% in the first three months of 2026 and came in below economists\u2019 expectations.<\/p>\n
The Fed on Wednesday chose to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the fifth straight meeting. But three regional Fed presidents dissented, saying they wanted to raise rates to combat elevated inflation.<\/p>\n
Higher costs have frustrated Americans ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections, which will determine whether Trump\u2019s Republicans keep full control of Congress.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
US filings for jobless benefits rise to 197,000 last week, but layoffs remain historically low<\/p>\n
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but layoffs remain in the historically healthy range of the past few years.<\/p>\n
U.S. filings for jobless aid in the week ending July 25 rose by 9,000 to 197,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week\u2019s figure was revised up by 1,000 to 188,000 but remains the lowest in more than 50 years.<\/p>\n
Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 207,000 new applications.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.<\/p>\n
Urban League report says Trump harms Black Americans\u2019 chances at American Dream<\/p>\n
The American Dream may not be dead for many Black Americans, but a National Urban League report warns that it\u2019s further away than at any point since the Civil Rights Movement.<\/p>\n
The 50th annual \u201cState of Black America\u201d report released Thursday grimly describes Black Americans \u2019 economic and political prospects as having worsened due to Trump\u2019s policies. A copy obtained by The Associated Press says all Americans should be concerned.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile they have targeted and focused on Black Americans, these attacks are going to impact broadly working Americans, poor Americans, aspirational middle-class Americans, and this is what this report points to,\u201d said Marc Morial, the league\u2019s president and CEO.<\/p>\n
Morial urged concerned Americans to respond at the ballot box and with their pocketbooks. \u201cWe cannot be dejected. We cannot be cynical. We must act,\u201d Morial said.<\/p>\n
Most say it\u2019s important to keep gas prices down: AP-NORC poll<\/p>\n
Many Americans continue to be concerned about the pocketbook impact of the Iran war, the new poll shows.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
About 7 in 10 U.S. adults \u2014 72% \u2014 say it\u2019s \u201cextremely\u201d or \u201cvery\u201d important for the U.S. to prevent domestic oil and gas prices from rising, up slightly from 67% in March.<\/p>\n
A similar share, 70%, say it\u2019s highly important for the U.S. to reach a ceasefire agreement with Iran.<\/p>\n
Americans\u2019 goals for the Iran war may not be fully aligned with Trump, who has repeatedly said the war was launched to keep a nuclear weapon out of Iran\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
While about two-thirds of U.S. adults say it\u2019s \u201cextremely\u201d or \u201cvery\u201d important to keep Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon \u2014 with Republicans especially likely to say this \u2014 Americans are more likely to prioritize low gas prices and a permanent ceasefire with Iran.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
About two-thirds say the Iran war is not worth fighting: AP-NORC poll<\/p>\n
Most U.S. adults say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, according to a new AP-NORC poll. About two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28, has not been worthwhile. That includes the vast majority of Democrats and independents, as well as about 37% Republicans.<\/p>\n
The poll shows little appetite among Americans for a prolonged conflict.<\/p>\n
Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults want to continue military action in Iran, while about 3 in 10 say the U.S. should pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations. About 2 in 10 want to completely stop military action in Iran and roughly one-quarter don\u2019t know enough to say.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the \u2018people movers\u2019<\/p>\n
Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked \u201cpeople movers,\u201d the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal.<\/p>\n
In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.<\/p>\n
The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s approval rating for handling of Iran has declined slightly: AP-NORC poll<\/p>\n
The president’s approval rating on Iran has fallen slightly since last month, according to a new AP-NORC poll.<\/p>\n
Just 28% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling Iran, a slight decline from 34% last month.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Republicans also appear to be increasingly unhappy with the prolonged conflict: 61% approve of how Trump is handling Iran, an apparent decline from 71% in June.<\/p>\n
The margin of sampling error for Republicans is 6 points, so that 10-point decline is considered slight \u2013 but it\u2019s still noteworthy given Republicans\u2019 higher approval of how Trump is handling the presidency overall. About 7 in 10 Republicans, 73%, approve of Trump\u2019s job performance.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s overall job approval rating is 33% among U.S. adults. That\u2019s slightly below where he was at this point in his first term, and similar to where former President Biden stood about one and a half years into his presidency, as inflation peaked.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Senate panel delays vote on Blanche attorney general nomination as key Republicans withhold support<\/p>\n
Todd Blanche\u2019s nomination to become attorney general stalled Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump\u2019s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n
The Senate Judiciary Committee had been expected to vote Thursday on whether to advance Blanche\u2019s nomination to the full chamber. But resistance from two Republican senators on the committee who could block Blanche\u2019s nomination threw his confirmation into doubt.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the committee said in a statement Wednesday night that the vote would be postponed \u201cas work continues to secure sufficient support.\u201d The delay came after hours of negotiations between the Justice Department and Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis over the controversial settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The US and Iran trade missile barrages as hopes dim for a quick resolution<\/p>\n
The United States and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes took hold again and hope dimmed for any quick resolution.<\/p>\n
After a brief respite, the risk of a return to all-out war emerged once more, with the fighting threatening to engulf even more countries: Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person. Also this week, drones caused fires on ships at an Egyptian port, and Saudi Arabia said it came under fire from Iran-backed militias in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The spiraling violence underscored the difficulty of winding down a five-month conflict that has sent the price of fuel and other basics soaring, jolted the world economy, and added to concerns about American stockpiles of weapons needed to defend its bases and allies. After an earlier hiatus had given hope that diplomatic efforts were moving forward, there was no public sign of progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump speaks about Dulles International Airport modernization, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":969111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,69,83,25227,172042,184754,184755,184750,184752,325469,324520,7202,7203,16567,358,16538,95,389158,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-969110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-america","tag-donald-trump","tag-iran","tag-john-cornyn","tag-marc-morial","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31998-ap-online-national-news","tag-product-32520-ap-online-other-u-s-government-news","tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","tag-san-antonio","tag-sanantonio","tag-sean-duffy","tag-texas","tag-thom-tillis","tag-todd-blanche","tag-trump-iran-blanche-disapproval","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=969110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/969111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=969110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=969110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=969110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}