US-China trade talks enter their second day

The U.S. and China are holding a second day of talks in London aimed at easing their trade dispute. It comes after President Donald Trump said China is “not easy” but the U.S. was “doing well” at the negotiations.

A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng met Monday with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House.

World Bank downgrades global growth forecast

President Donald Trump’s trade wars are expected to slash economic growth this year in the United States and around the world, the World Bank forecast Tuesday.

Citing “a substantial rise in trade barriers,” the 189-country lender predicted that the U.S. economy — the world’s largest — would grow half as fast (1.4%) this year as it did in 2024 (2.8%). That marked a downgrade from the 2.3% U.S. growth it had forecast back for 2025 back in January. The bank also lopped 0.4 percentage points off its forecast for global growth this year.

Video game performers reach tentative deal

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has reached a tentative contract deal with several video game companies that may bring an end to an almost year-long strike tied to the use of artificial intelligence.

SAG-AFTRA said that it anticipates that the terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with the companies soon. Union members will remain on strike until such an agreement is reached.

AP seeks full appeals court hearing on access

The Associated Press has asked for a full hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, seeking to overturn last week’s decision by three judges of that court that continues to allow the Trump administration to restrict the outlet’s access to cover presidential events.

The panel had put a pause on a lower court ruling that Trump’s blockade of the AP improperly punished the agency to refusing to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The two judges who ruled against AP in a 2-1 margin last week were appointees of President Donald Trump.

Wall Street drifts as US-China talks continue

U.S. stocks drifted just below their all-time high as the wait continues to hear what will come of trade talks underway between the United States and China.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Tuesday as talks between the world’s two largest economies carried into a second day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%. The hope is that President Donald Trump will lower his tariffs on China and other countries after reaching trade deals with them.

NJ Transit engineers OK tentative agreement

New Jersey Transit’s train engineers have overwhelmingly approved a tentative deal that ended their three-day strike last month that halted service for some 100,000 daily riders, including routes to Newark airport and across the Hudson River to New York City.

The agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen announced the results.

North Carolina auto insurance rates going up

North Carolina automobile insurance rates are poised to increase statewide this fall by a 5% average as part of an agreement reached between state regulators and the insurance industry.

The settlement announced Monday by Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is lower than the average 22.6% rate increase originally requested by the North Carolina Rate Bureau.