United States

Yahoo Finance reports: The US economy grew at a faster than expected pace in the second quarter. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’s advance estimate of first quarter US gross domestic product (GDP) showed the economy grew at an annualized pace of 2.8% during the period, well above the 2% growth expected by economists. The reading came in higher than first …

USA Today reports: The Winter Olympics are officially returning to the United States. More specifically, the Games are coming back to Utah. International Olympic Committee members voted Wednesday to formally award the 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, making Utah’s capital a repeat Olympic host more than three decades after it served as the site of the 2002 Olympics. …

CNBC reports: The monthly inflation rate dipped in June, providing further cover for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates later this year. The consumer price index, a broad measure of costs for goods and services across the U.S. economy, declined 0.1 from May, putting the 12-month rate at 3%, around its lowest level in more than three years, …

Changing America reports: A Midwestern city, affectionately known as “the land of splendor,” has been named the most educated in America, according to a recent WalletHub study. The financial services company compared the 150 most populated metropolitan areas in the U.S., grading them based on a formula that included the share of adults with high school diplomas and college degrees …

Gallup Polling reports: Two in five Americans, 41%, say they are “extremely proud” to be American, the fifth consecutive year this reading has been in the 38% to 43% range. Another 26% of U.S. adults say they are “very proud,” also in line with recent years. The 67% combined share of Americans who are extremely or very proud is consistent …

CNN reports:  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge related to his alleged role in one of the largest US government breaches of classified material, as part of a deal with the Justice Department that will allow him to avoid imprisonment in the United States, according to newly filed federal court documents. Assange was …

Yahoo Finance reports: A closely-watched report on US inflation showed consumer price increases cooled during the month of May, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday morning. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained flat over the previous month and rose 3.3% over the prior year in May — a deceleration from April’s 0.3% month-over-month …

USA Today reports Each year for the last six, gay advocacy group Out Leadership has produced an index gauging the business climate for gay and transgender people state by state, mapping out where they can live and work with the least discrimination and hardship. Last year as anti-LGBTQ+ bills swarmed statehouses across the country, the average score for all 50 …

From a new study on church attendance: To date, most studies on religion have relied on surveys where respondents self-report their worship, potentially limiting the reliability of results. In this paper, the author uses anonymized location data from smartphones to provide a descriptive analysis of religious worship attendance in the United States. Seventy-three percent of people step into a religious …

The Georgia Recorder reports: The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter provided an update on his grandfather’s condition Tuesday at the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, which was the first held since the former first lady’s death. Jimmy Carter, who at 99 years old is the longest lived president, has been in hospice care since early 2023. Rosalynn …

The New York Times reports: The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday night to give final approval to a $95.3 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending it to President Biden and ending months of uncertainty about whether the United States would continue to back Kyiv in its fight against Russian aggression. The vote reflected resounding bipartisan support …

NBC News reports: The Senate voted Tuesday to advance the $95 billion aid package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The vote of 80-19 indicates the legislation has enough support to clear the Senate in a final vote, which could come as soon as Tuesday evening, and then …

NBC News reports: The Senate is poised to vote Tuesday to advance the $95 billion aid package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The package, which passed the House on Saturday, includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would give his country “a …

CNN reports: The House passed the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act with a vote of 311-112. One member – GOP Rep Dan Meuser – voted present. Democrats cheered and waved Ukrainian flags during the vote. The $95 billion package contains $61 billion for Ukraine and regional partners. One of the bills would provide nearly $61 billion to assist Ukraine and …

Reuters reports: The United States said on Thursday it had restricted its employees in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva areas amid Iran’s threats to retaliate against its regional adversary. Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus, ratcheting up tension in …

ABC News reports: The most recent outbreak of measles is threatening the United States’ elimination status, according to a new CDC report published Thursday. The first measles vaccine was introduced in 1963 and, thanks to a yearslong and highly effective vaccination campaign, measles was considered eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, meaning the disease is no longer constantly present. Despite …

Reuters reports: The FBI is concerned about the possibility of an organized attack in the United States similar to the one that killed scores at a Russian concert hall last month, the bureau’s director plans to tell a House of Representatives panel on Thursday. “Looking back over my career in law enforcement, I’d be hard pressed to think of a …

Politico reports: The U.S. and other Western countries are considering transferring to NATO a U.S.-led multinational group that coordinates the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, one of several new proposals that could help maintain the flow of arms to Kyiv under a second Donald Trump presidency. During the NATO foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels Wednesday and Thursday, officials are expected …

Axios reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to send two top Israeli officials to Washington as early as next week for talks about a possible military operation in Rafah, four U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios. It’s a sharp reversal by Netanyahu who on Monday canceled the same trip by the same people in protest over the U.S. …

Gallup Polling reports: As Americans observe Ramadan and prepare to celebrate Easter and Passover, the percentage of adults who report regularly attending religious services remains low. Three in 10 Americans say they attend religious services every week (21%) or almost every week (9%), while 11% report attending about once a month and 56% seldom (25%) or never (31%) attend. Two …