COLU @ CONCEPTS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told Congress on Wednesday that the central bank expects to keep raising a key interest rate at a gradual pace and also plans to start trimming its massive bond holdings this year. In her semiannual testimony on the economy, Yellen took note of a number of encouraging factors, including strong job gains and rising household wealth that she said should fuel economic growth over the next two years. She blamed a recent slowdown in inflation on temporary factors. But she says Fed officials are watching developments closely to make sure that annual price gains move back toward the Fed’s 2 percent target. Many economists believe the Fed, which has raised rates three times since December, will hike rates one more time this year. In her prepared testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, Yellen repeated the message she has been sending all year: the economy has improved enough that it no longer needs the extraordin...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans find themselves in a no-win situation as they struggle to pass health care legislation in the Senate: Success could alienate a majority of the population, but failure could anger the crucial group of GOP base voters the party relies on to build election victories. It’s a version of the dilemma now confronting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he tries to maneuver between opposing poles in the GOP caucus to fashion an “Obamacare” repeal-and-replace bill that will satisfy everyone. After an earlier failure last month, one senior Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said Tuesday on Fox News Channel that he’s “very pessimistic” about success. Republicans are trying to convince the public that they’re cleaning up a mess Democrats made in passing the law — a point McConnell, R-Ky., makes daily in Senate floor speeches. But even many in the GOP are skeptical the argument will prove convincing, now that they control the House, the Senate and...

MIAMI (AP) — Robinson Cano hugged Francisco Lindor after the final out, exchanged high-fives with his American League teammates and put an arm around the shoulder of designated hitter/photographer Nelson Cruz. Winning the All-Star Game still seemed to matter, even if it didn’t mean World Series home field. Cano homered off Cubs closer Wade Davis leading off the 10th inning and the AL beat the National League 2-1 Tuesday night for its fifth straight victory in a game dominated by this era’s flame-throwers, rather than its standout sluggers. At 34, the Seattle second baseman was among the oldest players in an event built around so many of the sport’s new, young stars, and he was added to the roster only Friday as an injury replacement. At that time, he didn’t realize baseball players and owners had scrapped the rule giving home-field advantage in the Fall Classic to the league that wins the Midsummer Classic. “When I found out, I said, I might get an at-bat,” Cano reca...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president’s son connected the dots. Until Tuesday, the questions about whether Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia have largely centered on revelations from secret sources and suspicious connections that may ultimately be just eyebrow-raising coincidences. There’s been plenty of smoke, but no fire. Then suddenly — there in black and white — was the president’s son eagerly accepting a meeting with a purported Russian government lawyer who dangled the promise of damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. The type of coordination with Russia that Trump has long denied, the emails seem to show, was being embraced by his namesake. “If it’s what you say I love it,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote in a June 2016 email to a music publicist who was acting as an intermediary with the Russian attorney. In the four pages of emails published Tuesday, Trump Jr. also appeared unfazed when his associate stated that the information “is part of Russia and its...

ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) — With debris scattered for miles across the flat countryside of the Mississippi Delta, federal and local officials combed soybean fields for clues in a military plane crash that killed 15 Marines and a Navy sailor. Six of the Marines and the sailor were from an elite Marine Raider battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and were headed for pre-deployment training in Yuma, Arizona, the Marine Corps said Tuesday. Several bouquets were left at the main gate of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, where the plane was based. Officials said some of those killed were from the base, but Stewart was closed to reporters and did not issue a statement. “We’re feeling the pain that everybody else is,” Robert Brush said after dropping off three pots of red, white and blue petunias. He works for a landscaping company that serves the base. Military officials continued to withhold the names of the dead, saying they were notifying family members...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A quiet, unsmiling little girl with big brown eyes crawls inside a carpeted cubicle, hugs a stuffed teddy bear tight, and turns her head away from the noisy classroom. The safe spaces, quiet times and breathing exercises for her and the other preschoolers at the Verner Center for Early Learning are designed to help kids cope with intense stress so they can learn. But experts hope there’s an even bigger benefit — protecting young bodies and brains from stress so persistent that it becomes toxic. It’s no secret that growing up in adversity can be stressful for kids. But mounting research suggests persistent stress can smolder beneath the skin and become toxic, harming the brain and body and leading to major illnesses in adulthood. (July 12) It’s no secret that growing up in tough circumstances can be hard on kids and lead to behavior and learning problems. But researchers are discovering something different. Many believe that ongoing stress durin...

HONOLULU (AP) — The Army knew Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang had shown support for Islamic State years ago. It even took away his security clearance for a while. But he stayed in the service, deploying to Afghanistan in 2013. Then, last weekend, the FBI arrested the 34-year-old on terrorism charges following a yearlong investigation, shortly after Kang declared his loyalty to the terrorist group and exclaimed that he wanted to “kill a bunch of people,” according to authorities. The case highlights the challenges investigators face with protecting the public from a potentially dangerous actor on one hand and gathering sufficient evidence to enable prosecution on the other. A US soldier in Hawaii was arrested after the FBI says he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group and helped purchase a drone for use against American forces. Army sergeant first class Ikaika Kang appeared in federal court on Monday. (July 11) Kang is on record making pro-Islamic State com...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI faces a confirmation hearing Wednesday that will undoubtedly focus on the political tumult surrounding his nomination, with both Democrats and Republicans seeking assurances of his independence from the White House. Christopher Wray, 50, would inherit the nation’s top law enforcement agency at a particularly challenging time. Trump abruptly fired predecessor James Comey, who was widely admired within the agency, during its investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and potential coordination with the Trump campaign. Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee could delve into Wray’s lengthy legal career that included a stint as a top Justice Department official in the Bush administration and white collar work at an international law firm with several major corporations and banks as clients. But lawmakers are more likely to drill into Wray’s leadership style and how he w...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A health care proposal from Senate conservatives would let insurers sell skimpy policies provided they also offer a comprehensive plan. It’s being billed as pro-consumer, allowing freedom of choice and potential savings for many. But critics say it would split the sick and the healthy, leading to unsustainably high premiums for people with medical problems and pre-existing conditions, who may get priced out of the market unless taxpayers bail them out. Senate Republican leaders trying to resolve differences between moderates and conservatives ahead of a health care showdown are taking a close look at the proposal from Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, dubbed the Consumer Freedom Amendment. No final text has been made public, but the concept has been endorsed by Vice President Mike Pence. A health care factoid can help frame the issue: U.S. health care spending is highly skewed toward the sickest people. According to government estimates, 5 pe...

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Janet Yellen delivers her testimony on the Federal Reserve’s semiannual report to Congress on Wednesday, investors may listen as much for clues to her own future — and the Fed’s — as they will to what she says about interest rate policy. The Fed chair is likely to repeat a message she has been sending about rates: That further gradual increases will follow the three rate hikes the Fed has made since December. She is expected to say that even though inflation has slowed further below the Fed’s target level, the job market appears healthy enough to justify slightly higher borrowing costs. But lawmakers may prod Yellen about her own plans and about the potential reshaping of the Fed itself resulting from a forthcoming influx of new board members selected by President Donald Trump. During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump was critical of the central bank for its low-rate policies, which he said were helping Democrats, and for its efforts to enact to...

BOSTON (AP) — An Iranian cancer researcher who was detained at Boston’s Logan International Airport has been sent back to his home country. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokeswoman Stephanie Malin said Mohsen Dehnavi and his family were put on a return flight shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Dehnavi was arriving in the U.S. to start work at a prominent Boston hospital. Boston Children’s Hospital said in a statement earlier Tuesday that Dehnavi was prevented from entering the country with his wife and three young children despite holding a J-1 visa for visiting scholars. They arrived at the airport Monday. The hospital said the reasons for the detention were unclear. “Boston Children’s hopes that this situation will be quickly resolved and Dr. Dehnavi and his family will be released and allowed to enter the U.S.,” hospital spokesman Rob Graham said in the statement. “The hospital is committed to doing its utmost to support Dr. Dehnavi and his family.” Malin said the Dehnavi...

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — It’s been more than a month since four Arab nations cut land, sea and air routes to Qatar, but in the gas-rich Gulf nation’s glimmering malls and luxury hotels there is little sign of hardship. High-end clothing stores hawk the latest summer trends. Grocery stores are brimming with meats and cheeses from Europe and Turkey, and just last month the country’s main port received 4,300 cars and sheep from Australia. Luxury hotels like the W and St. Regis serve lavish meals around the clock and alcohol flows for visitors. Famous Barcelona soccer players Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba met with fans last week at a mall in the capital, Doha, which will host the 2022 World Cup tournament. “We don’t feel any difference. It’s a celebration everywhere,” Qatari Badr Jeran said as he shopped at the mall. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt moved to isolate Qatar in early June, severing diplomatic ties and closing off their air space ...

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The U.S.-led coalition said Wednesday that an Amnesty International report accusing its forces of violating international law during the fight against the Islamic State group in Mosul is “irresponsible.” The report released Tuesday said Iraqi civilians were subjected to “relentless and unlawful attacks” by the coalition and Iraqi forces during the grueling nine-month battle to drive IS from Iraq’s second largest city. It said IS militants had carried out mass killings and forcibly displaced civilians to use them as human shields. “War is not pleasant, and pretending that it should be is foolish and places the lives of civilians and soldiers alike at risk,” Col. Joe Scrocca, a coalition spokesman, told The Associated Press. Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared “total victory” in Mosul on Monday, but clashes along the edge of the Old City continued into the evening Tuesday. In all, 5,805 civilians may have been killed in the fight for western Mos...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s eldest son revealed Tuesday that he was eager to hear damaging information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, disclosing a series of emails that marked the clearest sign to date that Trump’s campaign was willing to consider election help from a longtime U.S. adversary. The email exchange posted to Twitter by Donald Trump Jr. showed him conversing with a music publicist who wanted him to meet with a “Russian government attorney” who supposedly had dirt on Clinton as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” The messages reveal that Trump Jr. was told the Russian government had information that could “incriminate” Clinton and her dealings with Russia. Donald Trump Jr. defended his meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer on Fox News Channel’s Hannity. The younger Trump said he was looking for information on Hillary Clinton, and that no useful information was offered. (July 12) “I love it,” Trump Jr. sai...