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House Democrats on Wednesday blasted the Trump administration for not consulting sufficiently with Congress while negotiating a mini trade deal with Japan, failing to provide details about it and refusing to testify at a congressional hearing. Earl Blumenauer, the Oregon Democrat who heads the trade subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, said lawmakers were seeking to work together with the U.S. Trade Representative's office, but that was proving "very, very hard". Wednesday's hearing on the U.S.-Japan deal signed by President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 25 underscored growing frustration among U.S. lawmakers about what they see as moves by the Trump administration to circumvent Congress's constitutional authority for trade policy.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:01:47 -0500

As U.S. Federal Reserve officials hone their monetary policy playbook in preparation for the next economic downturn, it appears they will eschew more controversial approaches tried by other global central banks, including one that President Donald Trump has called on the Fed to try. Minutes of the Fed's late October meeting, released on Wednesday, show U.S. central bankers jettisoning any real consideration of using negative interest rates to stimulate the economy. Trump has repeatedly urged the Fed to lower rates to below zero, arguing that negative rates in Europe and elsewhere give those countries a competitive advantage.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:01:00 -0500

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will unveil his opposition party's election manifesto on Thursday, setting out how in government he plans to transform Britain with "the most radical and ambitious plan" in decades. With three weeks before Britain votes in its second election in just over two years, Corbyn will press his message that only Labour can challenge the status quo, fighting for ordinary people against "bankers, billionaires and the establishment". Lagging in the polls, the 70-year-old socialist will hope his message of change will drown out criticism of his Brexit stance, which even some in his party say lacks the clarity of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's vow to "get Brexit done".

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:00:00 -0500

President Donald Trump engaged with journalists on Wednesday as he regularly does when he departs the White House at the start of a trip, only this time he had some help with what he wanted to say. Walking before assembled journalists, the president held a small stack of papers, including handwritten notes in thick black ink and mostly all caps, which he read aloud to reinforce his position that he did not seek favors from Ukraine earlier this year. Usually the president exits the White House without papers or paraphernalia in his hands.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 16:59:13 -0500

A Canadian woman on vacation near Cancun says she suffered a severe beating from another guest at the resort.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 16:56:58 -0500