U.S. and world news for March 2

Blinken and Lavrov meet: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met for a ten-minute discussion today in New Delhi, India, where a G20 summit is taking place. It’s the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine that the two have met. Blinken is reported to have told Lavrov that the U.S will continue supporting Ukraine in the war.

Unemployment claims down: The U.S. Department of Labor reported this morning that unemployment insurance claims fell to 190,000 last week from 192,000 the week before. The Federal Reserve has been looking for the jobs market to soften as it continues to fight inflation and today’s unemployment numbers reflect continued strong employment.

Astronauts launched: Astronauts from the U.S., Russia and the United Arab Emirates were launched toward the International Space Station this morning. A rocket from the company SpaceX was used in the launch for NASA from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The astronauts are expected to remain on the space station for six months.

Theft of funds: President Biden today asked Congress to approve spending $1.6 billion to go after people who stole billions in government pandemic relief funds. The relief programs put into effect under both the Trump and Biden administrations added up to about $6 trillion, and an enormous amount is believed to have been stolen.

Delay at NATO: Hungary, which is controlled by autocrat Victor Orban, has delayed votes by NATO on admitting Finland and Sweden to the organization. Hungary and Turkey remain the only holdouts on approving Sweden and Finland for membership.

Sales at Macy’s: Macy’s today reported net sales for 2022 of $24.1 billion, down 0.1% from 2021. The company said digital sales went down by 6% compared with 2021 while sales in stores were up 3% for 2022.  Net income for 2022 was $1.1 billion.

Cover photo by Mike Mozart / Flickr Creative Commons