By PAUL WISEMAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writers The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years, as President Donald Trump’s trade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring…
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By MAX CONWAY, Rochester Institute of Technology and CEDAR ATTANASIO, Associated Press ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — With her purple-and-pink hair swaying, Reneé Colón stands on a stepladder in the rented corner of a warehouse, pouring Brazilian coffee beans into her groaning old roasting machine. The beans are precious because they survived severe drought in a…
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The Trump administration’s latest efforts following his tough immigration agenda are targeted at jurisdictions that declare themselves “sanctuaries” for undocumented immigrants. Just before celebrating his 100 days in office on Monday, the president signed new executive orders intended at ramping up restrictions on U.S. immigration, including his mass deportation campaign. One directive instructs Attorney General…
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California’s governors and legislators have a very bad habit of enacting major programs and projects without fully exploring their downside risks. The most spectacular example occurred in 1996, when a Republican governor, Pete Wilson, and a Democrat-controlled Legislature decided to overhaul California’s electric power industry. The legislation was hammered out in lengthy and secret negotiations…
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By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — A coalition of survivors of clergy sexual abuse demanded Wednesday that cardinals entering the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis pick a pope who will adopt a universal zero-tolerance policy for abuse and himself has a clean record handling cases. The group End Clergy…
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In the history of California, there has never been a bigger disconnect between political elites and the citizenry than over the issue of Proposition 13. In June of 1978, every editorial board in California, every labor group, every education organization and, yes, even big business opposed Prop. 13. While its defeat seemed certain to the…
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Over the years, I’ve given you people lots of useless advice, but here’s some that you shouldn’t ignore: Get yourself a live-in body builder. If this is impossible, I’m willing to rent out my son for a nominal fee. He can bench press 300 pounds. The reason you need a strongman in your house is…
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Can cities really adopt laws saying that sober living homes must have permits? And that such homes must be separated — by hundreds of feet! — from one another? That’s blatant discrimination against people recovering from addiction, who are considered disabled under the law… right? Wrong, a panel of judges from the U. S. Court…
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Which Epson printer is best? While the world continues to barrel toward an all-digital future, there is still a considerable need for good printers, especially when it comes to business of both the big and small variety. When searching for a good printer, one of the best brands you can select from is Epson, thanks to…
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By DAVID A. LIEB, MARGERY A. BECK and BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska were asked last year whether they wanted to require employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers. They overwhelmingly said yes. Now some lawmakers in each of those states are trying…
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