The death of a Florida teenager on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month has been ruled a homicide. Anna Kepner’s cause of death was “mechanical asphyxia,” according to a copy of her death certificate obtained by ABC News. The case has drawn international attention and sparked intense speculation on social media. Mechanical asphyxia is…… MORE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales at U.S. retailers and restaurants rose slightly in September as resilient consumers moderated their spending after splurging over the summer. Sales increased 0.2% last month from August, the Commerce Department said, in a report delayed more than a month because of the government shutdown. The retail sales figures suggest that Americans…… MORE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers were much less confident in the economy in November in the aftermath of the government shutdown and amid weak hiring and stubborn inflation. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to 88.7 in November from an upwardly revised October reading of 95.5, the lowest reading since…… MORE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is seeking to abandon a rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution, arguing that the Biden administration did not have authority to set the tighter standard on pollution from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule last year that imposed strict…… MORE
The makers of ByHeart infant formula say tests of products tied to a botulism outbreak show that all of the company’s products may have been contaminated. Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formula from three different lots showed that five samples contained the type of bacteria that can lead to the rare and potentially deadly…… MORE
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks climbed again on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Tuesday after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 664 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Stocks got a…… MORE
BEIJING (AP) — China is turning to a well-used playbook to express its displeasure with Japan over a statement by its prime minister on Taiwan. Beijing is using its economic clout to pressure Tokyo while hurling a barrage of invective at its government. A Chinese advisory against travel to Japan has led to cancellations for…… MORE
The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be able to acquire loans of up to $832,750 on single-family homes in most of the country,…… MORE
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tyson Foods’ decision to close a beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska, could devastate the small city and undermine the profits of ranchers nationwide. The closure of the plant and one of two shifts at a plant in Texas will reduce beef processing capacity nationwide by 7-9% and lead to lower cattle…… MORE
Over the weekend, Elon Musk’s X unveiled a feature that lets users see where an account is based. Online sleuths and experts quickly found that many popular accounts, often posting in support of the U.S. MAGA movement with thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, are based outside the U.S. This raises concerns about foreign…… MORE
