WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy accelerated at the start of 2026, expanding at a modest 2% pace from January through March after recovering from last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown. But the outlook is clouded by the Iran war.

NEW YORK (AP) – Teenagers are more inclined than their elders to get news from nontraditional sources such as social media and influencers, heralding a generational shift in how people seek out information. A national study by the Media Insight Project finds 36% of U.S. adults say they get news from social media at least once a day.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits tumbled to their lowest level more than 50 years last week despite a number of economic headwinds including the war in Iran.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran’s supreme leader vowed Thursday in a defiant tone to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to curtail through airstrikes and as part of a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky ceasefire.

MUNSTER, Germany (AP) – President Donald Trump has again threatened to pull U.S. troops out of Germany, a key NATO ally and the European Union’s largest economy. Europeans have heard this before.

The soccer coach had blocked himself from sportsbooks by the time he found prediction markets. The tax accountant said he “got the same high” on those platforms that he got from gambling. “That was how I relapsed – with Kalshi and Polymarket. I lost a bunch of money.”

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela arrived Thursday in the capital of the South American country, seven years after the U.S. Homeland Security Department ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) – President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline that would carry oil from Canada into the U.S. where it would be exported and refined.