North America

By DEB RIECHMANN and BEN FOX

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Iran policy has been rooted in the idea that being tougher on Tehran would yield better results and perhaps even a new nuclear deal to replace the Obama administration pact that he pulled the U.S. out of a year ago Wednesday.

That strategy is now being put to the test as tension escalates between Washington and Tehran, even as both sides appear willing to negotiate an end to the standoff.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Tens of thousands of teachers across Oregon walked off the job Wednesday to demand more money for schools, holding signs and wearing red shirts that have become synonymous with a nationwide movement pushing lawmakers to better fund education.

Schools around the state, including Oregon’s largest district, Portland Public Schools, closed for at least part of the day. Most offered day care and free lunch programs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American officials say the U.S. is poised to move more military assets to the Middle East in response to perceived threats from Iran.

Officials say two additional bomber aircraft are expected to deploy to the region, and one official says there are ongoing discussions about moving some Patriot missile batteries back to the Middle East.

There is no final decision on the Patriot missiles, and the move could hinge on whether the U.S. believes Iran is taking action to reduce the threat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.

That’s according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It’s the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump’s immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the same subject.

FAWN RIVER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his mother in their southern Michigan home, according to court documents.

The woman was found early Monday morning in Fawn River Township, St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough told WWMT-TV . Fawn River Township is about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west-southwest of Detroit.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rain swamping the nation’s midsection forced people from their homes in Kansas, stranded dozens of Texas children at school overnight and strained levees along the surging Mississippi River in Illinois, Missouri and elsewhere Wednesday prompting yet more flash flood concerns.

The flooding began in earnest in March, causing billions of dollars of damage to farmland, homes and businesses across the Midwest. Rivers in many communities have been above flood stage for more than six weeks following waves of heavy rain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress, escalating the Democrats’ extraordinary legal battle with the Trump administration over access to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report.

7 May 2019; AFP: US soy farmers and industry on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to pull back from his tariff threat and quickly bring an end to the trade dispute with China.

That message was reinforced by financial markets, as US stocks fell by more than two percent for the first time in months amid concerns the renewed trade tensions could scuttle a deal.

Washington, May 8 (AFP/PTI) President Donald Trump's taxes show that he lost 1.7 billion over a decade starting in the mid-1980s, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Trump's apparent losses are greater than nearly any other individual American taxpayer, so much so that he managed to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years.

Trump's federal tax forms from 1985 show he reported 46.1 million in losses from his main businesses, which consisted mainly of casinos, hotels and retail spaces in apartment buildings.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco officials voted Tuesday to require brick-and-mortar retailers to take cash as payment, joining Philadelphia and New Jersey in banning a growing paperless practice that critics say discriminates against low-income people who may not have access to credit cards.

The vote by the Board of Supervisors was unanimous.

Supervisor Vallie Brown, who introduced the legislation, said it “will go far in ensuring all San Franciscans have equitable access to the city’s economy.”