The farm bill has expired. Congress is months away from a new version

NC NEWSLINE - As the deadline for Congress to enact a new farm bill passed this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months - if not longer - until they reach agreement on a new bill. By averting a federal shutdown, at least until mid-November, Congress kept some critical government agricultural programs alive. But others will effectively be in limbo until lawmakers pass a

More suspects to be charged in ransacking of Philadelphia stores, district attorney says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Additional suspects will be charged with smashing into stores in Philadelphia last week as law enforcement officials review video of the social-media fueled mayhem, prosecutors said Monday. More than 70 people already face a range of charges, such as burglary, conspiracy and riot, in the flash mob-style break-ins Tuesday night at dozens of stores including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple. All but six of the defendants are adults. "There

John Tucker’s 1845 lynching in downtown Indianapolis recounted with historical marker

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The story of a Black man beaten to death in Indianapolis in a racist 1845 lynching is now part of the city's cultural trail in the form of a historical marker. The marker describing John Tucker's slaying was unveiled Saturday by state and local leaders and members of the Indiana Remembrance Coalition, The Indianapolis Star reported. It was placed along downtown Indianapolis' cultural trail close to where Tucker was

Food prices are rising as countries limit exports. Blame climate change, El Nino and Russia’s war

(AP) How do you cook a meal when a staple ingredient is unaffordable? This question is playing out in households around the world as they face shortages of essential foods like rice, cooking oil and onions. That is because countries have imposed restrictions on the food they export to protect their own supplies from the combined effect of the war in Ukraine, El Nino's threat to food production and increasing damage from climate

Trump won’t try to move Georgia case to federal court after judge rejected similar bid by Meadows

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Donald Trump will not seek to get his Georgia election interference case transferred to federal court, his attorneys said in a filing Thursday, three weeks after a judge rejected a similar attempt by the former president's White House chief of staff. The notice filed in federal court in Atlanta follows a Sept. 8 decision from U.S. District Judge Steve Jones that chief of staff Mark Meadows "has

Biden administration announces $1.4 billion to improve rail safety and boost capacity in 35 states

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Biden administration announced Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law. "These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

A small venture capital player becomes a symbol in the fight over corporate diversity policies

NEW YORK (AP) - A venture capital firm that has backed buzzy new companies like restaurant chain Slutty Vegan and beauty brand Live Tinted has become symbolic of the fight over corporate diversity policies since becoming a target of a lawsuit over a grant program for Black women. But the Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market. The Atlanta-based firm has invested

Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies and contraception

NEW YORK (AP) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during child birth, as the largest American philanthropic donor throws its weight behind the issue during the nonprofit's annual Goalkeepers conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Melinda French Gates, who says the issue is personal to her, smiled broadly as she introduced herself not just