U.S. trade deficit declined in 2025, but gap for goods hits a record despite Trump tariffsVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025, a year in which President Donald Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. But the gap in the trade of goods such as machinery and aircraft — the main focus of Trump’s protectionist...
Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. companies tripled last year, a JPMorganChase Institute study shows
WASHINGTON — Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. businesses tripled over the course of past year, new research tied to one of America’s leading banks showed on Thursday — more evidence that President Donald Trump ‘s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption. The additional taxes have...
Warren Buffett’s company invests in the New York Times 6 years after he sold all his newspapers
OMAHA, Neb. — Five years after Warren Buffett sold off all of Berkshire Hathaway’s newspapers and predicted unending declines for most of the industry, Berkshire disclosed a new $350 million investment in the New York Times on Tuesday. The somewhat surprising move highlighted the quarterly update Berkshire filed with the...
Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is...
Robert Duvall, acting legend known for intense roles, dead at 95
When Robert Duvall was floundering around in college, his father, a career Navy man who retired with the rank of rear admiral, told him to shape up — and start acting. “I wasn’t pushed into it but suggested into it,” Duvall once told an interviewer. “They figured I did skits...
U.S. adds 130,000 jobs and unemployment falls after tepid 2025Video
U.S. payrolls rose in January by the most in more than a year and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, suggesting the labor market continued to stabilize at the start of 2026. Employers added 130,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal in bid to revive industry
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will introduce plans to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power plants as he seeks to drive domestic reliance on the fossil fuel. The marquee initiative, set to be announced Wednesday, will come through an executive order, as Trump directs Defense...
Retail operator of outdoor sportswear pioneer Eddie Bauer files for bankruptcy
NEW YORK — The operator of roughly 180 Eddie Bauer stores across the U.S. and Canada has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming declining sales and a litany of other industry headwinds. The bankruptcy filing marks the third time in a little over two decades for the storied-but-now-tired brand...
Super Bowl ads try to overcome tough times with health, caring and the usual laughsVideo
At a difficult time for America, Super Bowl advertisers ask viewers to take care of themselves and others — and maybe even crack a smile. Ring shows how neighbors can use their doorbell cameras to find lost pets. A Budweiser Clydesdale protects a bald eagle chick from the rain. Novartis...
Maryland oyster season collapse prompts calls for federal disaster aid
Maryland officials are asking for federal help after what they describe as one of the worst oyster seasons in state history, a collapse they say threatens both watermen and a cornerstone of the Chesapeake Bay economy. U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., this week asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
Valentine flower imports increase at Miami airport, despite tariffs and higher costs, officials say
MIAMI — Winged babies shooting heart-shaped arrows might get most of the credit on Valentine’s Day, but the real magic behind millions of romantic bouquets happens in a cargo warehouse at a South Florida airport. Agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport will process about 990 million stems of cut flowers...
Pizza Hut closing 250 stores as parent company considers selling the brand
Pizza Hut plans to close 250 U.S. restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain. Yum Brands said Wednesday it’s targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the U.S. Louisville, Kentucky-based...
Washington Post cuts a 3rd of its staff in a blow to legendary news brandVideo
The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but...
The wealthy ramp up spending while other Americans tread water, study finds
WASHINGTON — Higher-income Americans and those with college degrees have ramped up their spending more quickly in the past three years than other consumers, according to data released Tuesday, evidence of worsening inequality that may explain some of the growing pessimism about the economy. The data, released by the Federal...
Robotaxi pioneer Waymo gets $16 billion injection to accelerate expansion plans
Robotaxi pioneer Waymo has raised another $16 billion to help fuel its ambition for its fleet of self-driving cars to provide rides throughout the world while other deep-pocketed rival services backed by Tesla and Amazon try to catch up. The fundraising announced Monday values Waymo at $126 billion. The appraisal...
Musk joins his rocket and AI businesses into single company before expected IPO this year
NEW YORK — Elon Musk is joining his space exploration and artificial intelligence ventures into a single company before a massive planned initial public offering for the business later this year. His rocket venture, SpaceX, announced on Monday that it had bought xAI in an effort to help the world’s...
Some companies tie AI to layoffs, but the reality is more complicated
The one thing N. Lee Plumb knows for sure about being laid off from Amazon last week is that it wasn’t a failure to get on board with the company’s artificial intelligence plans. Plumb, his team’s head of “AI enablement,” says he was so prolific in his use of Amazon’s...
What to know about the civil rights charges Don Lemon faces for covering church protest in Minnesota
Nine people, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon and another journalist — have been charged with violating two different federal laws in connection with the protest that interrupted a worship service at a Minnesota church earlier this month. The group that barged into a worship service that Sunday was upset...
Trump moved fast to cut a funding deal, a striking change from the last shutdown fight
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved quickly this week to negotiate with Democrats to try and avert a lengthy government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding, a sharp departure from last year’s record standoff, when he refused to budge for weeks. Some Republicans are frustrated with the deal, raising...
U.S. stocks drift as gold’s price keeps ripping higher
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market is drifting around its record heights Thursday following mixed profit reports from Microsoft and some other of Wall Street’s most influential companies. The action was strongest again in the gold market, where the metal’s price keeps ripping higher in its astounding run. The...
UPS to cut another 30,000 jobs in sweeping cost-savings push
United Parcel Service Inc. expects to cut as many as 30,000 positions this year, part of an ongoing effort by the package-delivery giant to rein in costs and boost profitability. The reductions to its operational workforce — a group that includes drivers and package handlers — will be achieved largely...
UPS retires fleet of MD-11 aircraft involved in deadly Kentucky crash
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UPS announced Tuesday that it has retired its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes just months after one crashed during takeoff, causing 15 deaths in Louisville. CEO Carol Tome said during a fourth-quarter earnings call that UPS decided to “accelerate our plans and retire all MD-11...
Paralyzing winter storms put a big chill on the economy, but how much?
HOUSTON — The deadly and widespread winter storm paralyzing much of the American East with ice, snow and cold is also taking a multi-billion dollar bite out of the U.S. economy, experts figure. But how much? Economists and meteorologists are trying to get a handle on the disruption costs of...
What travelers can expect as Southwest Airlines introduces assigned seats
Southwest Airlines passengers made their final boarding-time scrambles for seats on Monday as the carrier prepared to end the open-seating system that distinguished it from other airlines for more than a half‑century. Starting Tuesday, customers on Southwest flights will have assigned seats and the option of paying more to get...
Stocks rise as gold hits another record and the dollar’s value sinks again
NEW YORK — Stock indexes ticked higher Monday, while other markets made louder moves, including another record-breaking rush for the price of gold. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and won back its losses from last week’s dip. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 313 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq...
