WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve is expected to cut short-term rates in 2026, with its key interest rate settling at 3.4% towards the end of President Donald Trump ‘s term in office in 2028, according to a new report released Thursday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

LAS VEGAS (AP) – CES 2026 offered a glimpse of a future that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie: bendable screens, paper-thin TVs and cars and gadgets that can think for themselves as they get to know you and your family’s wants and needs.

BANGKOK (AP) – Chen Zhi boasted of pulling in $30 million a day, prosecutors in the United States said – a suspected criminal mastermind and onetime internet cafe manager who authorities say presented himself as a legitimate businessman.

HONG KONG (AP) – DeepSeek, the Chinese tech startup that rivals OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has been gaining ground in many developing nations in a trend that could narrow the gap of artificial intelligence adoption with advanced economies, a new report suggested.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanon’s moves to remove weapons from all non-state groups and assert full state control are as important as financial reforms if the economy is to recover after years of crisis, the economy minister said Thursday.

NEW YORK (AP) – Warner Bros. again rejected a takeover bid from Paramount and told shareholders Wednesday to stick with a rival offer from Netflix. Warner’s leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Skydance-owned Paramount’s overtures – and urged shareholders just weeks ago to back the sale of its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion.

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers posted far fewer jobs in November than the previous month, a sign that employers aren’t yet ramping up hiring even as growth has picked up.  Businesses and government agencies posted 7.1 million open jobs at the end of November, the Labor Department said Wednesday, down from 7.4 million in October.