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Electricity prices have been on a roller coaster in the last few years, and at the moment they’re climbing — just in time for the start of winter. Nationally, residential electricity prices rose 10.5% between January and August of this year, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA). That’s more than three times the annual rate of overall inflation. But the national average hides a lot of regional variation. While three states actually saw electricity prices drop in that nine-month period, nine states saw an increase of more than 20% — topped by Missouri at 37.4% and North…

Rep. Young Kim has amended congressional financial reports after a complaint alleged she failed to disclose five sponsored trips since 2022. The complaint from End Citizens United, a left-leaning campaign finance reform group, said Kim, an Anaheim Hills Republican, had taken five sponsored trips totalling nearly $50,000 that were not included on personal financial disclosure statements. Records with the House Clerk show Kim has already filed amendments to disclose the five trips highlighted in the complaint. “All trips Rep. Kim attends are part of her official duties as a member of Congress and are approved by the House Ethics Committee…

As a general rule, babies born in the United States of America are citizens of the United States of America. There isn’t any question about that. It’s in the Constitution, 14th Amendment: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” After his election to his second term in November 2024, Trump said to NBC News of the 14th Amendment: “We’re going to have to get it changed. We’re going to end that because it’s ridiculous.” If the president, as with…

By MORIAH BALINGIT, Associated Press Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Not long after President Donald Trump took office in January, staff at CentroNía bilingual preschool began rehearsing what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials came to the door. As ICE became a regular presence in their historically Latino neighborhood this summer, teachers stopped taking children to nearby parks, libraries and playgrounds that had once been considered an extension of the classroom. And in October, the school scrapped its beloved Hispanic Heritage Month parade, when immigrant parents typically dressed their children in costumes and soccer jerseys from their home…

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market remains largely quiet on Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say in the afternoon about where interest rates may be heading. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% in early trading and remains near its all-time high, which was set in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 88 points, or 0.2%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% lower. Among the market’s few big movers was GE Vernova, which flew 15% higher after raising…

By Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News President Donald Trump suggested he could seek to oust Federal Reserve governors appointed by President Joe Biden if their commissions were signed by autopen, in his latest bid to exert control over the central bank. The gambit is unlikely to come to fruition. Previous Trump declarations that he was voiding Biden actions where the former president used an autopen have resulted in little more than eyerolls. Governors would be almost certain to mount a legal challenge to any effort to invalidate their Senate-backed appointments. But the comments nevertheless represent the latest encroachment by the president…

California Democrats have for years controlled every state constitutional office and held supermajorities in the Legislature. They also control the state’s major cities, so there’s been little to stop them from raising taxes early and often. That leaves the ballot as the only check, with California long overdue for another boisterous fight over the state’s counterproductively high tax rates. One is coming soon. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which is the protector of Proposition 13’s property-tax limitation legacy from 1978, is gathering signatures for a November 2026 measure. Dubbed the Local Taxpayer Protection Act, it would restore the statutory limitation of a 0.11% cap…

By GRAHAM DUNBAR, Associated Press Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Three skiers from Russia and six from Belarus — including former Olympic and world champions — were approved Wednesday to compete in qualifying events for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games in February. FILE – Anastasia Tatalina, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts during the women’s slopestyle finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) Their return after exclusion during the full military invasion of Ukraine could be within days at Davos in Switzerland. Former world junior cross-country ski champion Savelii…

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations that target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride. Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium, which local organizers say will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.” In Egypt, the soccer federation issued a statement late Tuesday saying it sent a letter to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related…

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve will almost certainly reduce its key interest rate Wednesday, but the bigger question for financial markets and the economy is what signals Chair Jerome Powell may send regarding the central bank’s next steps. It would be the third cut in a row and bring the Fed’s key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years. For Americans struggling with high borrowing costs for homes, cars, and other large purchases, this year’s rate cuts could reduce those costs over time — though it’s not guaranteed. Mortgage…