Trump gets royal welcome in Japan, China as trade truce hopes rise
TOKYO — President Donald Trump received a royal welcome on Monday in Japan, the latest leg of a five-day Asia trip which he hopes to cap with an agreement on a trade war truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump, making his longest journey abroad since taking office in January,...
A ghost in the Oval Office: How Reagan looms over Trump presidency
WASHINGTON — Since February, a large, smiling portrait of Ronald Reagan has loomed over the Oval Office, watching Donald Trump each time he settles behind the Resolute Desk long used by U.S. presidents. The painting - provided by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute and prominently installed by Trump...
D.C. lawyer on furlough lives out dream of running a hot dog cart
Isaac Stein makes his living as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service, working mostly on his own, writing retirement plan regulations in a Washington office building. Since the federal government shut down early this month, his typical day could not be more different. Stein now spends afternoons on the...
Food banks brace for surge as shutdown threatens benefits
WASHINGTON/CHICAGO — Cynthia Kirkhart, the CEO of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, West Virginia, has already had to explain to customers this year why the organization is rationing bags of potatoes. The food bank, which also serves households in Kentucky and Ohio, has had to shrink its allotments as higher...
Analysis: Bulldozer and ballroom: Trump puts permanent stamp on the White House
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump met with donors for his new ballroom at the White House earlier this month, he relayed a story that thrilled his real estate mogul heart. “I said, ‘How long will it take me?’ ‘Sir, you can start tonight, you have no approvals,’” Trump said...
Louvre reopens after heist, as backlash grows over security flaws
PARIS — The Louvre in Paris reopened on Wednesday, three days after thieves made off with historic jewelry worth an estimated $88 million euros in a spectacular heist that has raised urgent questions over security lapses at the museum. Visitors queued to enter through the Louvre’s glass pyramid for the...