House takes step toward extending Affordable Care Act subsidies

WASHINGTON (AP) – Overpowering Speaker Mike Johnson, a bipartisan coalition in the House voted Wednesday to push forward a measure that would revive an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but that had expired last month.

US action in Venezuela is both a blessing and a curse for Putin

The lightning U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro can be seen as both a benefit and a burden for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces botched an attempt to capture Ukraine’s capital and topple its leader at the start of Moscow’s invasion nearly four years ago.

China announces another new trade measure against Japan

BEIJING (AP) – China escalated its trade tensions with Japan on Wednesday by launching an investigation into imported dichlorosilane, a chemical gas used in making semiconductors, a day after it imposed curbs on the export of so-called dual-use goods that could be used by Japan’s military.

Editorials from New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Prime Minister Mark Carney to Visit China Next Week

TORONTO (AP) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that he will visit China next week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Canada looks to reduce its reliance on the United States, which has threatened its economy and sovereignty.

What to know about the fatal shooting of a woman by ICE in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Federal officials and local leaders clashed Wednesday over their differing characterizations of a fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. While President Donald Trump’s administration described the killing of a 37-year-old mother as an act of self-defense amid his latest immigration crackdown.

Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed setting U.S. military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times.” Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges.

Trump says he wants to ban large investors from buying houses

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants to block large institutional investors from buying houses, saying that a ban would make it easier for younger families to buy their first homes. Trump has been under pressure to address voters’ concerns about affordability ahead of November midterm elections.

ICE Agent Shoots and Kills Woman During Minneapolis Crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A federal agent shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist when she allegedly tried to run over law enforcement officers during an immigration crackdown in the city, authorities said Wednesday. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the woman in her vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis.