February 12, 2026 5:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to slap back President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The tally offered a rare rebuke of the White House agenda, though it wouldn’t actually undo the tariffs without support from Trump himself, which is highly unlikely. Almost instantly, Trump issued his own rebuke with a political warning to those who would dare cross him. He believes in the power of tariffs to force U.S. trade partners to the negotiating table. But lawmakers are facing unrest back home from businesses caught in the trade wars and constituents navigating high prices. House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent a vote, but his strategy collapsed. Several Republicans joined with Democrats in favor of the resolution. It next goes to the Senate.
February 12, 2026 5:13 am
BILZEN-HOESELT, Belgium (AP) — European Union leaders are gathering in Belgium as the bloc argues over how to stand up to pressure from the United States, China and Russia. They are meeting Thursday in a session meant to shape another summit in late March. German and Italian leaders are pushing deregulation, rebooted ties with Washington and more trade deals. France is pushing “European preference” to protect key industries and to steer defense spending toward EU arms makers. Leaders will also debate new finance tools to shield trade and investment. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says economic strength drives global influence.
February 11, 2026 5:12 am
NEW DELHI (AP) — A broad coalition of unions and farmers in India has held a one-day national strike against an interim trade deal with the United States. The strike Thursday disrupted some public services and factory work. Protest leaders say the pact harms small farmers, workers and local businesses. Opposition lawmakers in Parliament demanded the deal be scrapped. Union leaders say the deal opens India to subsidized American farm products. They also condemn privatization and new labor codes. The government defends the pact and says it protects farmers. U.S. and Indian officials say the framework lowers tariffs and deepens ties.
February 12, 2026 5:11 am
HONG KONG (AP) — China has moved to curb a fierce price war between automakers sector that has caused massive losses for the industry. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released new guidelines Thursday to prevent manufacturers from pricing cars too cheaply in order to squeeze out rivals. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported this week that domestic passenger car sales fell 20% in January from a year earlier. Analysts say a cut in tax exemptions for electric vehicles and weaker EV subsidies in several Chinese regions have dampened demand. As domestic car demand slows, Chinese carmakers are expanding their global sales, and exports are expected to grow this year.
February 11, 2026 5:15 am
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — FBI agents are fanning out across an Arizona neighborhood not far from Nancy Guthrie’s home. They’re knocking on doors and searching through thick desert terrain. This comes a day after authorities investigating Guthrie’s disappearance detained a man who says he was questioned for hours before being released. The man told several media outlets on Wednesday that he had nothing to do with last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Hours earlier, the FBI released images of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing near Tucson.
February 11, 2026 2:21 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) — Six months ago, an explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works killed two people. It also heightened the stakes in the life of a western Pennsylvania mill town even as a new mayor tries to raise hopes. But many who live and work in Clairton are wondering if they can hope for a sustained departure from decades of disinvestment and persistent pollution. Blocked by one American president, approved by the next, Japan’s Nippon Steel bought the American industrial icon for $15 billion last June. It pledged $11 billion in upgrades to domestic steelmaking. Nippon said $2.4 billion of that might reinvigorate Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley, where a half century of deindustrialization has left long strands of scarred riverside steel towns.
February 12, 2026 2:20 am
(AP) – Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing its plans to split into two companies. Steve Cahillane, a former Kellogg Co. chief who became CEO of Kraft Heinz on Jan. 1, said he wants to ensure that all of the company’s resources are focused on profitable growth. Cahillane said he thinks many of Kraft Heinz’s challenges are “fixable and within our control.” Kraft Heinz announced in September it was splitting into two companies a decade after a merger of the brands created one of the biggest food manufacturers on the planet. The transaction was expected to occur in the second half of this year. (Photo: AP)
February 11, 2026 10:37 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 130,000 jobs last month, but government revisions cut 2024-2025 U.S. payrolls by hundreds of thousands. The Labor Department said Wednesday that the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%. The report included major revisions that reduced the number of jobs created last year to just 181,000, weakest since the pandemic year of 2020, and less than half the previously reported 584,000. The job market has been sluggish for months even though the economy is registering solid growth.
February 11, 2026 9:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels. That’s according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details. And two of those people say that caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to ensure commercial air safety and the two agencies sought to coordinate. Administration officials haven’t immediately responded to that explanation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had said earlier that the response to an incursion by Mexican cartel drones had prompted the airspace closure.
February 11, 2026 3:17 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi launched into a wide-ranging, passionate defense of President Donald Trump, repeatedly shouting at Democrats during a combative hearing in which she postured herself as the Republican’s chief protector. Bondi’s remarks came at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday as she tried to turn the page from persistent criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The hearing quickly devolved into a partisan brawl, with Bondi repeatedly lobbing insults at Democrats while insisting she was not “going to get in the gutter” with them.
