WASHINGTON (AP) – A key question hangs over the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting that ends Wednesday: Will central bank policymakers still reduce short-term interest rates this year, now that the Iran war has sent oil prices higher and gas prices spiking? Or will they have to stand pat for months to see how the conflict plays out?
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Tuesday NATO and most other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, grousing that he has been unable to rally support behind his war of choice in Iran that he insists he’s conducting for the good of the world, even if it doesn’t appreciate his effort.
NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore the government-run Voice of America’s operations after it had effectively been shut down a year ago, putting hundreds of employees who have been on administrative leave back to work.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
TOKYO (AP) – Japan recorded a trade surplus of 57.3 billion yen ($360 million) in February, according to government data released Wednesday, reversing from a deficit a month earlier. Exports grew at a better-than-expected 4.2% in February to 9.57 trillion yen, the Finance Ministry’s seasonally adjusted preliminary data show. Imports grew 10.2%.
Today is Wednesday, March 18, the 77th day of 2026. There are 288 days left in the year. Today in history: On March 18, 1925, nearly 700 people died when the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana; it remains the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The first oil and gas lease sale held in years in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska was touted by officials Wednesday as the strongest to date, drawing hundreds of bids and interest from major oil companies despite pending legal challenges from environmentalists and some Indigenous groups.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Iran’s state media said Wednesday that Israel attacked its South Pars gas field – the largest in the world and one that is shared with Qatar to the south across the Persian Gulf. Facilities associated with the gas field near Asaluyeh on Iran’s Gulf coastline were on fire on Wednesday, state media reported.
NEW YORK (AP) – The Iran war has rattled the global flow of oil, with steeper fuel costs already straining households worldwide. And in the U.S., drivers are now facing the highest prices they’ve seen at the pump in about two and a half years.
°C
