By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to its lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

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The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April’s 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020.

A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market jumped 17.4 points to 72.8, but remained below 80, which can signal a recession ahead.

The proportion of consumers surveyed saying they think a U.S. recession is coming in the next 12 months also declined from April.

Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies — including massive import taxes — have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market, raising fears that the American economy is headed toward a recession.

However, Trump’s tariff pullbacks, pauses and negotiations with some trading partners may have calmed nerves for the time being.

“The rebound was already visible before the May 12 US-China trade deal but gained momentum afterwards,” said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at The Conference Board.

Trump had initially imposed a stunning 145% tariff on most goods from China, but agreed to a 90-day pause for negotiations. The U.S. also came to an agreement with the U.K. earlier in May.

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Trump and European Union leaders announced that the president’s 50% tariff on imports from the E.U., which he announced Friday, are on hold until July 9. That announcement would not have impacted the Board’s survey, which closed on May 19.

The Conference Board said the rebound in confidence this month was broad-based across all ages and income groups.

Consumers’ assessments of the present economic situation also improved, with the exception of their view on job availability, which weakened for the fifth straight month despite another strong U.S. jobs report.

However, less than 25% of respondents said they were worried about losing their jobs, compared with the 50% of respondents who said they were concerned about not being able to buy the things they need or want.

The Labor Department earlier this month reported that U.S. employers added a surprising 177,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%.

Write-in responses to the survey showed that tariffs are still consumers’ biggest concern. Inflation is also still weighing on their minds, though some noted that inflation seemed to be easing, along with gas prices.

Earlier in May, the Commerce Department reported that consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February’s 3%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.

Gas prices have hovered around $3.17 per gallon this month, down from $3.59 a year ago, but up a few pennies from April.

The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up prices in many categories. Most economists expect inflation to start ticking up in the coming months.

Robert Frick, an economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, said that while the tariff rollbacks may have boosted Americans’ confidence this month, that optimism may be fleeting.

“When prices start rising from existing tariffs in a month or two, it will be a sobering reminder that a new inflation fight has just begun,” Frick said.

The Board’s survey Tuesday also showed that Americans’ plans to spend on homes, cars and vacations also increased from April, with significant gains coming after the May 12 China tariff pause.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Massachusetts student who was barred from wearing a T-shirt to school proclaiming there are only two genders.

The justices left in place a federal appeals court ruling that said it would not second-guess the decision of educators in Middleborough, Massachusetts, to not allow the T-shirt to be worn in a school environment because of a negative impact on transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

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Educators at the John T. Nichols Middle School barred the student from wearing the T-shirt and an altered version with the words “two genders” covered up by tape with the word “censored” written on it.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

The court should have heard the case, Alito wrote, noting that “the school permitted and indeed encouraged student expression endorsing the view that there are many genders,” but censored an opposing view.

“This case presents an issue of great importance for our Nation’s youth: whether public schools may suppress student speech either because it expresses a viewpoint that the school disfavors or because of vague concerns about the likely effect of the speech on the school atmosphere or on students who find the speech offensive,” Alito wrote.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was reasonable to predict that the T-shirt will “poison the educational atmosphere” and disrupt the learning environment.

The school district’s decision was in line with a landmark Supreme Court ruling from 1969, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, that upheld the right of public school students to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War when it did not create a substantial disruption to education.

Minnesota United at Vancouver Whitecaps

When: 9:30 p.m. CT Wednesday
Where: BC Place, Vancouver
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Betting line: Vancouver plus-125; draw plus-260; MNUFC plus-200mls

Form: MNUFC (7-3-4, 26 points) fell to third place in the West after a 1-1 home draw with ninth-place Austin FC on Saturday. Vancouver (9-1-4, 31 points) came back from a 2-0 hole within the opening five minutes to beat Salt Lake 3-2 and hold down first place in the conference.

Recent matchup: Vancouver used three second-half goals to stake a huge lead in a 3-1 win over Minnesota at Allianz Field on April 27.

Context: No match this season bothers United more than the Vancouver defeat last month. Loons players and coaches have brought it up on multiple occasions.

Quote: “We gave them a lot of space,” Joaquin Pereyra said Saturday of the Vancouver loss. “They have good players, especially on the flanks, and I think in that match, here at home, we gave them a lot of space. We’re trying to reduce that margin for error, try to put more pressure on them, and be a little more aggressive.”

Update: Head coach Eric Ramsay was reconnected to the head coaching vacancy at West Bromwich Albion in England this week, but the Welshman remains committed to MNUFC for the foreseeable future, the Pioneer Press understands.

Stats: Captain center back Michael Boxall became the 10th Loon to score this season with his header against Austin on Saturday. Five United players have two or more goals.

Scouting report: Forward Brian White scored two goals, including his first PK, on Saturday to give him 10 on the season, three off MLS leader Tai Baribo of Philadelphia.

Absences: Kipp Keller (hamstring) and Sam Shashoua (leg) are expected to be out.

Projected starting XI: In a 5-3-2 formation, FW Tani Oluwaseyi, FW Kelvin Yeboah; MF Joaquin Pereyra, MF Robin Lod, MF Wil Trapp; LWB Joseph Rosales, CB Nico Romero, CB Michael Boxall, CB Jefferson Diaz, RWB Julian Gressel; GK Dayne St. Clair.

Prediction: Unbeaten in nine consecutive matches, Vancouver has established themselves as the class of the conference through 40% of the season. They will add to their MLS-best goal differential )plus-15). Vancouver victorious at 2-1.

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Apaches who are fighting to halt a massive copper mining project on federal land in Arizona that they hold sacred.

The justices left in place lower court decisions allowing the transfer of the Tonto National Forest land, known as Oak Flat, to Resolution Copper, which plans to mine what it says is the second-largest known copper deposit in the world.

The Trump administration has said it will push to complete the transfer.

FILE – Members of Apache and others who want to halt a massive copper mining project on federal land in Arizona gather outside the U.S. District Court, May 7, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in dissent that it was a “grievous mistake” not to take up the appeal.

“Recognizing Oak Flat’s significance, the government has long protected both the land and the Apaches’ access to it,” Gorsuch wrote, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. “No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground.”

A group known as Apache Stronghold, representing the interests of certain members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, has argued that the land transfer will result in the destruction of the site in violation of its members’ religious rights.

Apache tribes in Arizona consider Oak Flat, which is dotted with ancient oak groves and traditional plants, essential to their spiritual well-being.

An estimated 40 billion pounds of copper could be mined over the lifetime of the mine, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The project has significant support in nearby Superior and other traditional mining towns in the area. The company estimates the mine will generate $1 billion a year for Arizona’s economy and create thousands of local jobs.

Resolution Copper is a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP.

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Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in the case, presumably because he owns between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of BHP stock, according to his most recent financial disclosure.

Congress approved a land swap in 2014 that would give Resolution Copper 3.75 square miles of forest land in return for eight parcels it owns in Arizona.

In the waning days of the first Trump administration, the U.S. Agriculture Department issued the required environmental review that would allow the land swap to proceed.

Apache Stronghold sued in federal court to block it. With the change in administrations to President Joe Biden, the Agriculture Department, which includes the Forest Service, pulled back the review to further consult with Native American tribes.

But the suit proceeded and a year ago, the federal appeals court in San Francisco split 6-5 to allow the land transfer to go forward, rejecting Apache Stronghold’s arguments about religious freedom and its invocation of a 1852 treaty between the U.S. government and the Apaches.

The five dissenting judges described the outcome as a tragic error that would result in “the utter destruction” of the sacred site.

The Forest Service already has provided the 60 days notice that it intends to re-issue the environmental review, as required by a court order.