Today’s News
Railroad operators will be allowed to have fewer inspections, rely on technology to spot problems
The nation’s freight railroad companies are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks in person less often after the federal government last week approved their waiver request. The Association of American Railroads trade group asked for the relief from inspection requirements that were written in 1971 because railroad operators say they believe the automated track inspection technology they use today is so good at spotting problems early that [...]
Paramount makes bid for Warner Bros.
NEW YORK (AP) — Paramount has gone hostile in its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, challenging Netflix, which reached a $72 billion takeover deal with the company last week. Paramount earlier this week said that it is going straight to Warner Bros. shareholders with a bid worth about $74.4 billion, or $30 per share in cash. Paramount, unlike Netflix, is also offering to buy the cable assets of Warner Bros., and asking shareholders of the [...]
Education Department workers are returning to work to address complaint backlog
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families. The staffers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation’s schools and colleges. In a letter last week, however, [...]
Social Security Administration plans to reduce field office visits by 50 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration says it is planning to reduce visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more office closures are coming. Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the Social Security Administration and provide in-person help for people applying for retirement and disability benefits, getting Social Security cards and other services. A November [...]
Legal News
Meta prevails in historic FTC antitrust case
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meta has prevailed over an existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to spin off Instagram [...]
Judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members
A federal bankruptcy court judge earlier this week formally approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of opioids. [...]
Judge set to OK Purdue Pharma settlement deal
A judge last week said that he planned to approve a deal for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own [...]
Business News
Fed’s preferred inflation gauge at 2.8 percent in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation slowed a bit in September, which could lead to an interest rate cut by the [...]
Shutdown cost Delta $200M, but CEO expects ‘really strong’ upcoming holiday travel season
The longest federal government shutdown on record cost Delta Air Lines an estimated $200 million, CEO Ed Bastian said last week in the first disclosure [...]
Filings for jobless benefits fall to the lowest level in more than 3 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in more than three years two weeks ago, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s [...]
Real Estate
Average mortgage rate declines to 6.19 percent, near its low mark for the year
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell again last week, slipping close to its low point so far this year. The decline brings the [...]
National Association of Realtors economist forecasts home sales to increase 14% in 2026
Existing-home sales are projected to rise by around 14 percent in 2026, according to National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. Yun earlier this [...]
Mortgage rate falls to 6.23 percent
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage ended a three-week streak of increases, reflecting a pullback in long-term U.S. Treasury bond yields. The average long-term [...]
Politics
HHS unveils strategy to expand its adoption of artificial intelligence technology
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has outlined a strategy to expand its use of artificial intelligence, building on [...]
Trump administration pauses immigration applications for people from 19 countries
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications, such as requests for green cards, for people from 19 countries banned from travel [...]
Growing exotic pet trade drives illegal online sales and a push for tighter rules
A growing exotic pet trade has conservationists calling for stronger regulations to protect the reptiles, birds and other animals in the wild that are increasingly [...]