WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation pressures appear to be building in the U.S. economy, a prospect that is heightening anxiety about potentially higher borrowing rates that could slow economic growth.

The latest source of concern was a report Wednesday that showed a key measure of inflation rising in January by the sharpest rate in a year. The increase was led by higher prices for clothing, housing and auto insurance.

Read the whole story at Associated Press News

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The Latest on South Africa’s leadership crisis (all times local): 10:30 p.m.

South Africa is waiting for President Jacob Zuma to deliver the statement he had promised in response to the ruling party’s order to resign.

The presidency had said Zuma would address the nation at the top of the hour but the podium shown on TV screens across the country remains empty.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Two babies, born 15 months apart to the same young woman overcoming opioid addiction. Two very different treatments.

Sarah Sherbert’s first child was whisked away to a hospital special-care nursery for two weeks of treatment for withdrawal from doctor-prescribed methadone that her mother continued to use during her pregnancy. Nurses hesitated to let Sherbert hold the girl and hovered nervously when she visited to breast-feed.

Read the whole story at Associated Press News

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Wanted: A city to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Getting bidders for the Olympics used to be easy. But no longer, and particularly for the Winter Games.

Six European cities pulled out of official bids or possible bids when the IOC sought candidates a few years ago for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Cities balked over soaring costs, political unrest or a lack of public support as expressed in referendums.

That left the IOC with only two proposals, both from authoritarian governments that backed cities devoid of winter sports traditions: Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Beijing, China.

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In a rare move, Amazon is planning to cut hundreds of jobs, several news outlets reported Monday, with most of the layoffs expected at the mega-retailer’s Seattle headquarters.

What prompted the cuts?

The layoffs are part of the company’s “annual planning process,” Amazon said in a statement to the Seattle Times.

Read the whole story at PBS NewsHour

Israeli police recommend the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery charges in two corruption cases, according to local news outlets.

In Case 1000, Netanyahu is suspected of accepting more than $100,000 in gifts from wealthy benefactors in exchange for promoting their interests, and in Case 2000, Netanyahu allegedly tried to broker an arrangement that would garner positive news coverage for him in Israel's second largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, in exchange for sabotaging its free rival, Israel Hayom, Haaretz reports. Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes and Israeli-bred Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, who allegedly provided Netanyahu with gifts, will also be charged.

Read the whole story at US News

In a letter Wednesday, two Senators followed up on how a fitness app company is updating its settings to prevent the exposure of U.S. military bases and movements abroad.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., sent Strava CEO James Quarles a letter asking how the fitness app company has or plans to update its privacy and data-sharing settings so as to not potentially compromise operational security for U.S. military service members that use it. In the letter, the two Senators claim the app "makes it very difficult to opt out of unwanted data-sharing."

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A political storm is erupting around a key associate of President Donald Trump. The flashpoint is an admission by Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, that he paid $130,000 to a pornographic actress shortly before the 2016 presidential election – allegedly to buy her silence after she claimed she had an affair with Trump a decade earlier.

Cohen said he made the payment with his own money to Stephanie Clifford, known by the stage name of Stormy Daniels. Cohen, former counsel to the Trump Organization, said he was not reimbursed for the payment.

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Democrats have lost what was once a considerable advantage over Republicans in a generic congressional ballot, according to a new poll that also showed President Donald Trump's approval rating drawing even with his disapproval figure.

The new Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday showed respondents rewarding Republicans for passing the tax cut bill in December, with 39 percent saying they would vote Republican if the election were held today compared to 38 percent who would vote for Democrats – down from a 10-point Democrat advantage in mid-December.

Read the whole story at US News

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday warned that the Senate would move on from its open debate on immigration if lawmakers don't come to a conclusion this week.

"Senators have had plenty of time to prepare. There's no reason why we should not reach a bipartisan solution this week," the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor. "But to do this, we need to get the debate started, look past making political points and focus on actually making law."

Read the whole story at US News