North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s spoken with new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the two nations already are working on a new trade agreement.

Trump told reporters on Friday in the Oval Office that he had just spoken with Johnson. He predicted the U.S. and U.K. could reach “a very substantial trade agreement” that far exceeds existing levels of commerce.

Trump added that trade between the two countries had been “impeded” by the U.K.’s relationship with the European Union.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is wishing members of Congress would show him the deference that he said Republicans gave Barack Obama when he was president. Trump is recalling a genteel time that did not exist.

SALINAS, Calif. (AP) — A Scottish man who authorities say faked his death off California’s Carmel coast to avoid rape charges back home has been arrested, authorities announced Friday.

Kim Vincent Avis, 55, also known as Ken Gordon-Avis, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week and is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service, Cmdr. Kathy Pallozolo with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. The Associated Press has identified him as Kim Gordon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Midway through the first year of their House majority, Democrats have yet to vote to impeach President Donald Trump. And maybe they never will.

The House recessed Friday for a six-week summer break without opening impeachment proceedings, the Democrats no closer to taking a vote than they were when they swept to power at the start of the year, a searing blow to liberals in the aftermath of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s halting testimony on Capitol Hill.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump has vowed to slap tariffs on Apple’s Mac Pros if the company shifts production of the computer from Texas to China.

The pledge made in a Friday tweet rebuffs Apple’s attempt to shield its products from taxes being imposed on goods made in China as part of Trump administration’s trade war with the world’s most populous country.

Apple recently sent a letter to the Trump administration warning that the U.S. economy and its ability to compete will hurt if its products are hit with the tariffs.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A British cybersecurity expert who admitted writing and selling malware was spared prison Friday by a judge who said the misconduct was outweighed by his help in stopping a worldwide computer virus in 2017.

Marcus Hutchins, who was hailed as a hero for his role in stopping the “WannaCry” virus, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller. The judge noted Hutchins had pleaded guilty in May and accepted responsibility for his past actions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed sharply in the April-June quarter even as consumers stepped up their spending.

The gross domestic product, the economy’s total output of goods and services, grew at a 2.1% annual rate last quarter, down from a 3.1% gain in the first quarter, the Commerce Department estimated Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler filed a petition in federal court Friday to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, arguing the panel needs the information as it weighs whether to pursue impeachment of President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pressed the World Trade Organization on Friday to stop letting China and other economies receive lenient treatment under global trade rules by calling themselves “developing” countries.

In a memo, Trump directed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to “use all available means” to get the WTO to prevent countries from claiming developing country status if their economic strength means they don’t need beneficial treatment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s longest war has come full circle.

The United States began bombing Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to root out al-Qaida fighters harbored by the Taliban. Now, more than 18 years later, preventing Afghanistan from being a launching pad for more attacks on America is at the heart of ongoing U.S. talks with the Taliban.