SACRAMENTO - California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Leaps and Halves Its Losses From What Had Been a Dismal Week
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rallying Friday to more than halve their losses in what had been one of their worst weeks of the year. The S&P 500 jumped 1.7% and was on track for its best day in six weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 741...
Farmers, Business Owners, Fire Survivors Face Uncertainty After $100B in Disaster Relief Flounders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. A mayor in Hawaii is watching...
Closures, Social Security Checks, Furloughs: What a Government Shutdown Might Mean
WASHINGTON – Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home — or stay on the job without pay — just ahead of the holidays. Republicans abandoned...
Tesla Recalling Almost 700,000 Vehicles Due to Tire Pressure Monitoring System Issue
Tesla is recalling almost 700,000 vehicles because of an issue with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system. According to a letter Thursday from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall includes certain 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles. The issue is that...
Trump Wants Debt Ceiling in the Budget Deal. If Not, He Says Let the Government Shutdown.
WASHINGTON — Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled-down Friday on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — and if not, let the closures “start now.” Trump, who is not yet even sworn into the White House, issued...
Starbucks Workers Plan Strikes That Could Spread to Hundreds of US Stores by Christmas Eve
Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across...
House Rejects Trump-Backed Plan on Government Shutdown, Leaving Next Steps Uncertain
WASHINGTON — The House rejected President-elect Donald Trump's new plan Thursday to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, as Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders. In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated...
Pentagon Warns That a Government Shutdown Will Cost Troops Their Pay Over the Holidays
WASHINGTON — Republicans' decision to abandon a congressional spending plan will cost troops their paychecks over the holidays unless some agreement is reached before Friday's deadline to prevent a government shutdown, the Pentagon warned. Even if they don't get paid, those troops will be required to report for duty both...
Chinese National Charged With Acting as Beijing’s Agent in Local California Election
WASHINGTON — A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of acting as an illegal agent for Beijing when serving as the campaign manager for an unnamed politician elected to a city council in Southern California two years ago. The arrest of Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, came at a time...