Today’s News
Plan could limit access to some student loans in health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of nursing and other health-care organizations are angry over a Trump administration plan that could limit access to student loans in some cases. Students pursuing graduate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, public health and some other fields would face tighter federal student loan limits under the plan because it doesn’t consider them professional programs. The revamp is part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress. While graduate students previously [...]
Retail sales rise 0.2% in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales at retailers and restaurants increased in September as consumers moderated their spending after splurging over the summer. Sales rose 0.2 percent in September from the previous month, according to new figures from the Commerce Department. The report had been delayed more than a month because of the federal government shutdown. Sales increased 0.6 percent in July and August and 1 percent in June. Numerous reports on inflation, employment, spending and growth [...]
Trump signs order for AI project that’s designed to boost scientific discoveries
President Donald Trump is directing the federal government to combine efforts with tech companies and universities to convert government data into scientific discoveries, acting on his push to make artificial intelligence the engine of the nation’s economic future. Trump unveiled the “Genesis Mission” as part of an executive order he signed earlier this week that directs the Department of Energy and national labs to build a digital platform to concentrate the nation’s scientific data in [...]
Best Buy raises profit, sales expectations for current year
Best Buy raised its profit and sales expectations ahead of the holiday shopping season after a strong third quarter. Comparable-store sales at the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain rose 2.7 percent, fueled by computing, gaming and mobile phones. It was the biggest gain in three years for the Minnesota retailer. Best Buy reported net income of $140 million, or 66 cents per share, for the three-month period ended Nov. 1, or $1.40 when adjusted for [...]
Sinclair makes bid to buy out Cincinnati-based EW Scripps for $7 per share
NEW YORK (AP) — Sinclair has submitted a bid to buy out E.W. Scripps for $7 per share, in a deal that could bring further consolidation across America’s local TV news landscape. Under the proposal, which Sinclair disclosed earlier this week, the broadcast giant would acquire all of Scripps’ outstanding shares that it doesn’t already own. Sinclair has already upped its stake in Scripps recently — accounting for nearly 10 percent of the company’s class [...]
Ohio high schools OK bylaw to allow NIL agreements
Ohio has become the 45th state to allow high school athletes to enter into name, image and likeness agreements. Member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association voted 447-121 to approve the referendum, which was moved up six months after a lawsuit by a standout wide receiver forced the issue. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Jaiza Page issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 20 in a lawsuit filed by the mother of [...]
Boeing’s next Starliner flight to carry cargo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company’s next Starliner flight and instead perform a trial run with cargo to prove its safety. NASA also is slashing the planned number of Starliner flights, from six to four. If the cargo mission goes well, then that will leave the remaining three Starliner flights for crew exchanges before the space station is decommissioned in 2030. “NASA and Boeing are [...]
Tyson’s plant closure could impact ranchers nationwide
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tyson Foods’ decision to close a beef plant that employs nearly one third of the residents of a small Nebraska community could undermine the profits of ranchers nationwide. Closing a single slaughterhouse might not seem significant, but the Lexington, Neb., plant employs roughly 3,200 people in the city of 11,000 and has the capacity to slaughter some 5,000 head of cattle a day. Tyson also plans to cut one of the [...]
AI boom drives Alibaba cloud business to 34% revenue gain
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s Alibaba Group posted a 34 percent jump in revenue from its cloud business in its most recent quarter, buoyed by the boom in artificial intelligence. Yet overall revenue at the Chinese tech group for the July-September quarter increased by just 5 percent year-on-year to $35 billion, and profit fell 52 percent from last year, as a fierce price war in China’s e-commerce landscape — including in the food delivery segment [...]
Babies got sick months before formula recall, parents claim
As health officials investigate more than 30 cases of infant botulism linked to ByHeart baby formula since August, parents who say their children were sickened with the same illness months before the current outbreak are demanding answers, too. California public health officials last week confirmed that six babies in that state who consumed ByHeart formula were treated for botulism between November 2024 and June, up to nine months before the outbreak that has sickened at [...]
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
Cracker Barrel shareholders vote to keep CEO
Cracker Barrel shareholders last week voted to keep company CEO Julie Felss Masino in place despite a debacle over the company’s logo that continues to [...]
OpenAI, Foxconn to partner in U.S. projects
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — OpenAI and Taiwan electronics giant Foxconn have agreed to a partnership to design and manufacture key equipment for artificial intelligence data [...]
Walmart sales, profit increase in latest quarter
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart delivered another standout quarter, posting strong sales and profits that surpassed Wall Street expectations. With other retailers dialing back projections, [...]
Real Estate
Mortgage rate rises for third straight week
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage edged higher for the third week in a row, though it remains close to its low point this [...]
Nationally, homes sales rose in October
Sales of previously occupied homes across the country increased last month to the fastest pace since February as lower mortgage rates helped pull more homebuyers [...]
Central Ohio home sales increased 9.5 percent in October
Local home sales rose 9.5 percent in October, with 2,781 homes sold, according to statistics from Columbus Realtors. Home prices and the number of homes [...]
Politics
Official says sanctions on Russian oil are working
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said it is seeing signs that its sanctions on major Russian oil producers are crimping the economic engine that [...]
U.S. Treasury Department seeks to reclassify some federal refundable tax credits
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department last week said it plans to reclassify certain refundable tax credits as “federal public benefits,” which will bar [...]
Court pauses California’s climate-related risk statute
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A U.S. appeals court has paused a California law set to take effect in January requiring large companies to report every [...]