AP National Business

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leaders are trying to muscle President Joe Biden’s multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint over a key hurdle. But voting came to a standstill Monday night as negotiations continue with a band of moderate lawmakers threatening to withhold their support for the $3.5 trillion plan.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are gaining, boosted by a near-record rise on Wall Street. Still, early momentum Tuesday began to fizzle out over worries about the economic fallout from surging coronavirus infections in the region. Benchmarks in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China gained in morning trading. Some

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The fall book season will be packed with new works by such high-profile authors as Jonathan Franzen, Sally Rooney and Colson Whitehead. It will also include novels and stories that refer to or center on the coronavirus. The pandemic has now lasted into a second

By AMY BETH HANSON and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A shortage of bus drivers is complicating the start of a new school year already facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and conflicts over whether masks should be required in school buildings. School districts are offering hiring bonuses, training to get commercial

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Pop-up restaurants, many started as stopgap measures by struggling chefs and owners, may have staying power as consumers continue to embrace takeout and delivery and the delta variant threatens to make dining in less of an option. Cheaper to operate than regular restaurants because they

By YURAS KARMANAU and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sought to move forward stalled peace efforts in eastern Ukraine and stressed Germany’s commitment not to let Russia use a new gas pipeline as a “weapon.” She spoke Sunday on what is likely her last visit to the

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press AGDINES, Greece (AP) — Residents in the north of the Greek island of Evia have made their livings from the dense pine forests surrounding their villages for generations. Tapping the pine trees for resin has been a key source of income for hundreds of local families. But hardly any forests

BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is investigating the top official in the eastern tech and tourism hub of Hangzhou for what it called serious violations of discipline and law, usually considered shorthand for corruption. A one-sentence notice on the website of the party’s disciplinary watchdog Saturday gave no details of what the official

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China is facing heightened risks, along with potential political and economic opportunities following the Taliban’s rapid rise to power. China shares a narrow remote, border with Afghanistan and has long hoped for a reduction of U.S. influence in the area. But the Taliban’s core philosophy is diametrically

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A cruise ship headed for the Mexican Riviera set sail from the Port of Long Beach on Saturday — the first cruise ship to depart from California in 17 months. Carnival Corp. says the Carnival Panorama is on a seven-day voyage and will stop in the Mexican ports of Cabo

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police have detained several journalists who protested authorities’ decision to label a top independent TV channel as a “foreign agent.” The journalists held individual pickets Saturday outside the main headquarters of the country’s top domestic security agency, the FSB, on Moscow’s Lubyanka Square. They held placards such as “Journalism is not

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of protesters are marching in cities and towns across France against a COVID-19 health pass that is now required to enter restaurants and cafes, cultural and sports venues and long-distance travel. For a sixth straight Saturday, opponents denounced what they see as a restriction of their freedom. Many have criticized the

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — People are protesting in the streets of Dutch cities to call for an end to the government’s ban on large music festivals. Thousands of people attended one of the “Unmute Us” marches in Amsterdam, walking and dancing behind a convoy of trucks carrying DJs and sound systems

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has struck down California’s ballot measure that exempted Uber and other companies from a state law requiring their drivers to be classified as employees eligible for benefits and job protections. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled Friday that Proposition 22, which allowed

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents’ official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have gone abruptly offline, indicating an effort to try to squelch them. It was not immediately clear, though, why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press Writer MIAMI (AP) — A former Miami congressman who was once roommates with Sen. Marco Rubio has countersued a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company in a politically charged dispute over a $50 million consulting contract he had with Nicolas Maduro’s government. David Rivera’s Interamerican Consulting filed the counterclaim

By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey toured a small community southwest of Phoenix where flooding inundated homes and led to two deaths last weekend. The governor praised the resiliency of the people of Gila Bend on Friday and residents of other areas of the state who have endured flooding

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Trustees of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said Friday that financial abuses by four former executives cost the institution more than $630,000. A forensic analysis ordered by the zoo’s board of trustees showed money from a zoo levy that pays for animal care was not

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — General Motors is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires. The recall raises questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly all electric vehicles. President Joe Biden wants to cut greenhouse

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has gone to federal court to block a lawsuit over Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline project from proceeding in tribal court. The novel case names Manoomin as the lead plaintiff. Manoomin is the Ojibwe word for wild rice. Wild rice is sacred in Ojibwe culture. The lawsuit in White Earth