China opens investigations into US trade practices in response to Trump tariff moves

BEIJING (AP) – China launched two investigations into U.S. trade practices on Friday, signaling its resolve to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariffs ahead of his visit in May. The Commerce Ministry said the new probes are a response to two investigations announced by Trump earlier this month against multiple countries, including China.

AI's arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals

Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”

Build America, Buy America law is causing construction delays

It has a catchy name – Build America, Buy America – and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. But the law has spurred a bottleneck for affordable housing. Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects that get federal dollars must carry the Made in the USA label.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Iran is using insurgent tactics and holding world economy hostage

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – One month into their war with Iran, the United States and Israel find themselves confronting an opponent that fights more like an insurgency than a nation – using increasingly limited resources to inflict maximum pain.

Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other ingredients

WASHINGTON (AP) – Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings.

What social media limits countries have imposed for kids

Dual jury verdicts this week have validated longstanding concerns about the dangers of social media for young people. But the U.S. lacks federal regulation that meaningfully addresses these harms.

A nonprofit in France is fighting fast-fashion waste, one sneaker at a time

PARIS (AP) – Hundreds of used sneakers arrive each week at a workshop east of Paris, where workers inspect them and ask a simple question: Can a shoe be saved? The nonprofit SneakCœurZ is in the business of sorting the shoes to check which ones can be resold or redistributed, and which have to be rejected.

Iran starts to formalize its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz with a 'toll booth' regime

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Iran appears to be setting itself up as the gatekeeper for the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important artery for oil shipments. The move could cement Tehran’s de facto chokehold over the crucial waterway and formalize its ability to keep its own oil flowing to China.