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CNN)US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday criticized the Trump administration's tariffs on China and voiced support for lifting some of the levies, in part to ease very high inflation pressuring the US economy. "Some of the tariffs that were imposed by President Trump in retaliation for China's unfair trade practices, some of them, to me, seem as though they imposed more harm on consumers and businesses," Yellen said during a press conference in Germany ahead of a G7 summit with finance ministers.

The effects of global warming are not just occurring at the poles. Climatic changes are affecting New Hampshire here and now. Tourism is New Hampshire's second largest industry. Warm winters and lack of snow have resulted in economic hardship crippling snow-dependent attractions, with the ripple effect impacting restaurant, lodging, retail and service jobs. Logging and wood products comprise a $2.7 billion industry that has been gravely impacted by warm winters impairing the ability to harvest timber. These segments of the business community are vital to New Hampshire's economy and character. Disruption is now on the scale of making this a...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Greenpeace on Thursday said McDonald's was fueling Amazon rainforest destruction by using soybeans grown in the region as feed for chickens that end up served in the fast-food chain's European restaurants. In a reported entitled, "Eating up the Amazon," the environmental group said it has traced soy beans grown in illegally desforested areas of the rainforest to McDonald's Corp. restaurants, as well as other restaurant chains and supermarkets across Europe. "Fast Food giants like McDonald's are trashing the Amazon for cheap meat. Every time you buy a Chicken McNugget you could be taking a bite...

Among tax experts and policy wonks, there has always been a debate about what constitutes a "fee" as opposed to a "tax." The general public might have some vague notion of a difference between the two but, more times than not, they just don't care. If a citizen pays a $10 "fee" for something, that $10 has left his or her wallet just as surely as if they had paid a $10 tax. However, ever since 1978 with the passage of Proposition 13, the distinction between "fees" and "taxes" has had a significant legal consequence. Certain vote requirements -- either...

BILLINGS, Mont. - A new study suggests natural gas development in western Wyoming is forcing mule deer into less suitable winter range and affecting the animals' movements in an area known as the Pinedale Anticline. The number of mule deer on the Mesa winter range dropped a "disconcerting" 46 percent from 2002 to 2005, according to the report from Western EcoSystems Technology Inc. Models and maps indicated that, through at least three winters, deer tended to favor areas further away from well pads. Such behavior suggests that seasonal drilling restrictions may not be achieving what land managers had intended, the...