U.S. consumer prices accelerated in the year to March, with a measure of underlying inflation surging to near the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target as weak readings from last year dropped out of the calculation. The rise in the annual inflation gauges reported by the Commerce Department on Monday was anticipated by economists and Fed officials and is not expected to alter the U.S. central bank’s gradual pace of interest rate increases. Annual inflation readings in March of last year were held down by large declines in the price of cell phone service plans, and decelerated through much of 2017. “The Fed has been talking about today’s inflation increase since last March,” said Chris Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York. “There is no reason to think the Fed will accelerate the pace of rate hikes as a result.” Price index jumps Consumer prices as measured by the …

Sen. Marco Rubio says big businesses aren’t investing much of their windfall from President Donald Trump’s tax cuts into their workers despite GOP promises during last year’s debate.   “There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they’re going to take the money they’re saving and reinvest it in American workers,” Rubio, R-Fla., told The Economist in a story release Monday. “In fact they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.”   Rubio’s comments run counter to the cheerleading seen from other Republicans — and Democrats quickly jumped on the remarks.   “We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves,” said Matt House, a spokesman for top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York.   The GOP tax cut reduced the top corporate tax rate from …

Collecting discarded oyster shells from restaurants and returning them back to the water is the idea behind Shell Recycling Alliance, a program by the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Last year, the program collected 33,400 bushels of oyster shell from restaurants across the Chesapeake Bay area. Every half shell collected becomes a new home for around 10 baby oysters. And as Faiza Elmasry tells us, the recycled, spawned shell benefit the eco-system in many ways. Faith Lapidus narrates. …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that providing whatever assistance is necessary to bring Israeli-Palestinian peace is an “incredible priority” for the United States, and he urged the Palestinians to “return to that political dialogue.” “We will continue to work for peace in the great hope of offering the best outcome for both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Pompeo said alongside Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman. Pompeo said it is up to the two parties to ultimately decide on what the right resolution is, and that the United States is open to the “likely outcome” of a two-state solution. Safadi called resolving the longstanding conflict key to the “lasting and comprehensive peace” for the region. He said that for Jordan a two-state solution is the only way forward. Pompeo’s visit comes after a month of Palestinian protests in Gaza that have turned violent, with Israeli forces …

After traveling through Mexico with great fanfare for a month under the Trump administration’s watchful eye, nearly 200 Central American migrants attempting to seek asylum in the United States were stopped in their tracks when border inspectors said that a crossing facility didn’t have enough space to accommodate them.  Trump vowed last week to “stop” the caravan while Cabinet members said they would deliver a swift response. The asylum seekers held firm, setting up a possible showdown.  In an anticlimactic twist, about 50 asylum seekers were allowed past a gate controlled by Mexican officials to walk across a long bridge but were stopped at the entrance to the U.S. inspection facility at the other end. They were allowed to wait outside the building, technically on Mexican soil, without word of when U.S. officials would let them claim asylum.  Another 50 or so camped on blankets and backpacks in Tijuana outside …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told allies in the Middle East and Europe that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, unless it can be fixed. Pompeo began his first official foreign trip just hours after he was sworn in on Thursday. After attending a NATO meeting in Brussels, he headed for high-level talks in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports. …

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to neighboring North Korea this week, following a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. China said Wang will visit May 2 and 3 at the invitation of his North Korea counterpart. The brief statement Monday did not include any details about the subject of their meetings. On Sunday, South Korean officials said Kim plans to invite experts and journalists from Seoul and the United States to observe when North Korea shuts down its nuclear test site in May. South Korean presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan, also quoted Kim as saying, “The United States, though inherently hostile to North Korea, will get to know once our talk begins that I am not the kind of person who will use nuclear weapons against the South or the United States across the Pacific.”  U.S. Secretary of State …

The National Rifle Association will not allow attendees to carry firearms when Vice President Mike Pence speaks Friday at its annual meeting. The move by the most influential gun-rights lobby in the United States has sparked outrage among the survivors of the deadly shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, who say school children should be afforded the same protection as the vice president. “You are telling me to make the VP safe there aren’t any weapons around but when it comes to children they want guns everywhere?” tweeted Matt Deitsch, a student at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 teens and adults were killed on February 14. Another student, Cameron Kasky said on Twitter that the “NRA has evolved into such a hilarious parody of itself.” Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime died in the shooting, also sounded incredulous at the ban. “I thought giving everyone a …

Fired FBI Director James Comey is dismissing a Republican-led House committee report clearing the Trump campaign of collusion with the Russians as a “political document.” “This is not my understanding of what the facts were before I left the FBI and I think the most important piece of work is the one the special counsel’s doing now,” Comey said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday. Comey called the investigation by the House Intelligence Committee “a wreck” that damaged relations with the intelligence community and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees requests for surveillance warrants against foreign spies inside the United States. While the committee report acknowledged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, it says investigators found no evidence the Trump campaign worked with the Russians. Democrats on the committee say the Republicans on the panel did not interview enough witnesses or find enough evidence to back the report’s …

Pakistani police said a U.S. embassy vehicle driven by a diplomat Sunday night hit and injured two motorcyclists in Islamabad, the second such accident in three weeks involving an American official. The capital city’s police identified the diplomat as second secretary Chad Rex Ausburn, saying he was instantly detained along with his vehicle and that an investigation into the incident was underway. But police officials expected Ausburn to be released after recording his statement. He was still detained awaiting confirmation of diplomatic immunity. When asked by VOA for information on the incident, a U.S. embassy spokesperson promised to “get back.” The motorcyclist and another person on the bike received multiple injuries, but doctors at a city hospital said their condition was stable. Police would not say whether Ausburn was to be blamed for the accident. First incident On April 7, the defense attaché at the U.S. embassy, Col. Joseph Emanuel …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, during an expected nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump will insist on deeds and actions by Pyongyang, not words and promises. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports from Washington, which is absorbing changing realities on the Korean peninsula and the possibility of even more momentous developments yet to come. …

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is slated to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the threat of terrorism and economic growth in Africa’s most populous country of almost 200 million people. Nigeria has been plagued by extremist group Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency nine years ago with the aim of creating an Islamic State. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of school girls kidnapped, as the group gained notoriety and spread to neighboring countries, posing one of the most severe threats to West Africa’s Sahel region in recent years. Last year, the Trump administration approved a $600 million sale of high-technology attack planes and equipment to support Nigerian military operations against Boko Haram and IS terrorists and to monitor drugs, weapons and human trafficking. The deal was stalled under the Obama administration amid concerns of human …

A mystery is brewing at the White House about what happened to the oak tree President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron planted there last week.   The sapling was a gift from Macron on the occasion of his state visit. News photographers snapped away Monday as Trump and Macron shoveled dirt onto the tree during a ceremonial planting on the South Lawn. By the end of the week, the tree was gone from the lawn. A pale patch of grass was left in its place.   The White House hasn’t offered an explanation.   The oak sprouted at a World War I battle site that became part of U.S. Marine Corps legend.   About 2,000 U.S. troops died in the June 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood, fighting a German offensive.     …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made clear Sunday that President Donald Trump plans to abrogate the Iran nuclear deal next month unless it is “fixed” to the U.S. liking. Pompeo, in the Middle East on his first overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat, said, “President Trump’s been pretty clear, this deal is very flawed. He’s directed the administration to try and fix it and if we can’t fix it he’s going to withdraw from the deal. It’s pretty straightforward.” Speaking in Israel, he said that “unlike the past administration, President Trump has a comprehensive Iran strategy that is designed to counter the full array of threats emanating from Tehran.” En route from Saudi Arabia to Israel, Pompeo told reporters that he had briefed Riyadh’s leaders on U.S. talks with European officials on efforts to end Iranian missile tests and combat Tehran’s military involvement in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere …

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the government later this year if Congress does not approve enough funding for border security, including money to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Last month, Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that keeps the government open until the end of September. Speaking at a campaign rally Saturday in Washington Township, Michigan, the president said the Congressional spending bill vote will come up again on September 28, but if it does not include money for the wall he will not sign the bill. “We need the wall. We’re going to have it all,” he told the crowd.” And again, that wall has started. We got 1.6 billion. We come up again on September 28th and if we don’t get border security, we’ll have no choice. We’ll close down the country because we need border security.” Promising to build …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to invite experts and journalists from Seoul and the United States to observe when North Korea shuts down its nuclear test site in May, South Korean officials said Sunday. South Korean presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan, also quoted Kim as saying: “The United States, though inherently hostile to North Korea, will get to know once our talk begins that I am not the kind of person who will use nuclear weapons against the South or the United States across the Pacific.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC News the best possible outcome for President Donald Trump’s planned summit with Kim in three to four weeks would be Pyongyang freeing three Americans it is detaining and agreeing to an “irreversible” and “verifiable” end to its nuclear weapons program. “Who knows how the ultimate discussions will go?  We have our eyes wide open,” …

Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans who drew the wrath of President Donald Trump in a monthlong caravan to the U.S. border will make hard decisions Sunday: Risk being deported all the way home by trying to cross in the U.S., or to build a life in Mexico. After angry tweets from Trump, U.S. border authorities said some people associated with the caravan had been caught trying to slip through the fence, and encouraged the rest to hand themselves in to authorities. “We are a very welcoming country but just like your own house, we expect everyone to enter through our front door, and answer questions honestly,” San Diego Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott said in a statement. ​Sober advice, mood Most of the group of about 400 travelers who arrived in border city of Tijuana on buses over the past couple of days said they intended to legally seek asylum …