BRUSSELS (AP) – European leaders doubled down Thursday on refusing to join the United States and Israel military campaigns in the Middle East as they met in Brussels to grapple with rising oil and gas prices caused by the war.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than three months, a setback for prospective home shoppers this spring homebuying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.22% from 6.11% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.67%.
WASHINGTON (AP) – In the escalating war in Iran, the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs would ordinarily be at the center of the geopolitical fray. Typically led by a veteran diplomat, the bureau’s role would be to coordinate U.S. foreign policy across an 18-country region, much of which has become a chaotic battlefield scarred by drone and missile strikes.
MIAMI (AP) – The Cuban Communist Party has shown an astonishing resilience over six decades in power. Whether it’s the United States trade embargo to counter Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, or the widespread starvation of the “special period” that followed the breakup of its Cold War patron, the Soviet Union have proven no match for the country’s leadership.
NEW YORK (AP) – Uber says it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian Automotive to help launch up to 50,000 robotaxis. Uber are expected to buy 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis, with the option to purchase up to 40,000 more in 2030. The companies said that initial deployments of the vehicles are expected to begin in San Francisco and Miami in 2028.
It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. Here was a top official who resigned to protest the war with Iran turning to right-wing media’s leading critic of the conflict.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) – Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday ordered the release of 250 political prisoners as part of a deal with Washington that lifted some U.S. sanctions, the latest step in the isolated leader’s effort to improve ties with the West.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – After thousands of Iranian demonstrators were killed in a January crackdown, Shima Razavi Gacek wanted to keep alive her family’s favorite springtime holiday traditions but didn’t feel like throwing her annual house party with a roaring bonfire ahead of Nowruz – the Persian New Year.
1. An immigration judge has denied the asylum claim of the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy photographed in a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack as he was detained with his father during the immigration crackdown that shook Minneapolis earlier this year, a family lawyer said.
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