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Holiday shoppers increase spending by 3.8 percent

Sales rose this year during the holiday shopping season even as Americans wrestled with elevated prices for many groceries and other necessities, according to new data. Holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8 percent, outpacing the 3.1 percent increase from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks many [...]

By |2025-01-02T14:49:37-05:00Monday, December 30, 2024|

Many Southern farmers still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across region

LYONS, Ga. (AP) — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South. An irrigation sprinkler system about 300 feet long lay overturned in a field, its steel pipes bent and welded joints broken. The mangled remains of [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:10:59-05:00Friday, December 27, 2024|

Bill halting use, sale of Chinese drones could impact various U.S. businesses

WASHINGTON — A defense bill that Congress passed on Dec. 18 includes a clause to stop two Chinese companies from selling new drones in the U.S. if a review finds they pose “an unacceptable risk” to American national security. Congress has banned federal agencies from acquiring Chinese drones, with some exceptions, and several states have [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:15:18-05:00Thursday, December 26, 2024|

FDA updates 30-year-old definition of ‘healthy’ for food product packaging

Packaged food companies in the United States will have to follow new rules in order to call products “healthy,” according to changes finalized last week by the Food and Drug Administration. It’s an update of the agency’s definition originally devised 30 years ago. The move is aimed at helping Americans navigate food labels at the [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:19:51-05:00Tuesday, December 24, 2024|

Report: Agency needs more money for enforcement of export controls on chips

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Commerce Department’s efforts to curb China’s and Russia’s access to American-made advanced computer chips have been “inadequate” and will need more funding to stymie their ability to manufacture advanced weapons, according to a report published last week by the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The Biden administration imposed export controls to [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:24:44-05:00Monday, December 23, 2024|

Customs and Border Patrol still separates migrant children, parents, monitor says

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The federal government still separates some migrant children from parents while holding them after they cross the border despite changes at detention centers in Texas, according to a court-ordered monitor's final report. The heightened scrutiny of the Border Patrol's Texas holding facilities is part of broader court-appointed oversight. The report, issued [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:30:37-05:00Friday, December 20, 2024|

Most housing forecasts call for mortgage rates to remain above 6 percent next year

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mortgage rates are expected to remain above 6 percent for the next year, according to several economists’ 2025 housing forecasts, most of which were released during the past couple of weeks. Some of the eight forecasts on a 30-year mortgage include an upper range as high as 6.8 percent. That range [...]

By |2025-01-02T15:37:48-05:00Wednesday, December 18, 2024|

Some banks and trade groups file lawsuit to stop new rule regulating overdraft fees

Some banks and banking trade groups are suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a finalized rule that limits overdraft fees banks can charge. The rule is part of President Joe Biden administration’s campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. Banks, however, argue that without overdraft protection, desperate [...]

By |2024-12-18T15:43:34-05:00Tuesday, December 17, 2024|
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