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Tag: Susan Carpenter

  • Home sales fell in September to slowest pace in almost 30 years

    Home sales fell in September to slowest pace in almost 30 years

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    Sales of existing homes in the United States have dropped to their lowest level since 1995, the National Assn. of Realtors reported Wednesday. Sales fell 1% in September and are down 3.5% from a year earlier.

    What You Need To Know

    • Existing home sales fell 1% in September and are down 3.5% from a year earlier, according to the National Assn. of Realtors

    • While sales fell, prices have continued to increase; he median price of an existing home for sale increased 3% in September compared with a year earlier to $404,500

    • The number of unsold existing homes increased 1.5% in September compared with a month earlier and 23% compared with a year ago

    • Homes are now sitting on the market an average of 28 days — up from 26 days in August and 21 days in September 2023


    “Home sales have been essentially stuck at around a four-million-unit pace for the past 12 months, but factors usually associated with higher home sales are developing,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. 

    “There are more inventory choices for consumers, lower mortgage rates than a year ago and continued job additions to the economy,” Yun said. “Perhaps some consumers are hesitating about moving forward with a major expenditure like purchasing a home before the upcoming election.”

    While sales fell, prices have continued to increase. The median price of an existing home for sale increased 3% in September compared with a year earlier to $404,500. It was the 15th consecutive month of price increases. 

    Mortgage rates are also increasing. As of October 17, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.44% — up from 6.32% a week earlier.

    The number of unsold existing homes increased 1.5% in September compared with a month earlier and 23% compared with a year ago. Homes are now sitting on the market an average of 28 days — up from 26 days in August and 21 days in September 2023.

    “More inventory is certainly good news for home buyers as it gives consumers more properties to view before making a decision,” Yun said. 

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • White House proposes rule to expand contraceptive access

    White House proposes rule to expand contraceptive access

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    As Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris makes reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign, the Biden-Harris administration on Monday proposed a dramatic expansion of contraception coverage.

    The proposed rule would require that insurers cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control and other measures designed to increase access to contraceptives.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Biden-Harris administration on Monday proposed a dramatic expansion of contraception coverage

    • The proposed rule would require that insurers cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control, including condoms and the nonprescription birth control pill Opill

    • About 65 million women are of reproductive age in the United States

    • The move comes more than two years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the national right to an abortion


    “Every woman in every state must have reproductive freedom and access to the healthcare they need,” Harris said in a statement released by the White House. 

    Calling it the largest expansion of contraception coverage in more than a decade, she said the “new proposed rule will build on our Administration’s work to protect reproductive freedom by providing millions of women with more options for the affordable contraception they need and deserve.”

    About 65 million women are of reproductive age in the United States, according to the World Health Organization. 

    Provided through the Affordable Care Act, the new rule would apply to condoms, spermicides and the nonprescription birth control pill Opill, as well as emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after unprotected sex. 

    The ACA currently covers the cost of prescription birth control. The new rule would expand to apply to the over-the-counter version the Food and Drug Administration approved last year. 

    The move comes more than two years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the national right to an abortion. Twenty-one states currently ban abortion or make access to the procedure more restrictive than what was allowed under Roe v. Wade. 

    In a concurring opinion to the Dobbs ruling, conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that the high court should “reconsider” a number of high-profile rulings, including the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed married couples’ right to contraception. 

    Harris on the campaign trail has warned that Griswold could be at risk under a future Trump administration. 

    At least 13 states and Washington, D.C., currently have regulations that protect a woman’s right to contraception, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

    In 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Right to Contraception Act to codify Americans’ right to contraception, but it failed to pass in the Senate.

    A 2022 poll conducted by FiveThirtyEight found widespread support for contraceptives, with about 90% of Americans saying they support condoms and birth control pills and 80% supporting intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Another 70% said they support emergency contraception including Plan B, and almost 60% said they support medical abortion or abortion pills.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • FEMA says it’s prepared for Hurricane Milton as it continues Helene response

    FEMA says it’s prepared for Hurricane Milton as it continues Helene response

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    Eleven days after Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeastern United States, leaving a 600-mile path of destruction, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is deploying aid to the region while simultaneously preparing for expected fallout from another hurricane poised to make landfall in Florida this week.

    What You Need To Know

    • On Monday, the Department of Defense announced it has deployed 1,500 personnel to the Western part of North Carolina, much of which is still without power and largely inaccessible because of the destruction from Hurricane Helene

    • The DOD has sent 41 aircraft (including helicopters) and 918 vehicles (including all-terrain vehicles) to help clear roads, deliver commodities, provide medical care and search for missing people

    • In North Carolina, home to about half of the 227 fatalities from the storm so far, FEMA has more than 800 staff on the ground and 1,200 urban search and rescue personnel
    • More than 1,000 National Guard troops are also in the state, helping to deliver food, water and other supplies, some of which is being air dropped into isolated communities


    “This is a complicated event, but let me be clear: FEMA is good at complexity,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said during a media briefing Monday in North Carolina, where hundreds of people are still missing and 500 roads and 50 water systems have been impaired or destroyed. 

    The White House says federal support has surpassed surpassed $210 million and FEMA has so far distributed $137 million in assistance to Hurricane Helene survivors. As of Monday, almost 7,000 emergency responders have been deployed and 15.6 million meals have been shipped, along with 13.9 million liters of water, 157 generators and more than 505,000 tarps. 

    In North Carolina, home to about half of the 227 fatalities from the storm so far, FEMA has more than 800 staff on the ground and 1,200 urban search and rescue personnel. More than 1,000 National Guard troops are also in the state, helping to deliver food, water and other supplies, some of which is being air dropped into isolated communities.

    On Monday, the Department of Defense announced it has deployed 1,500 personnel to the Western part of North Carolina, much of which is still without power and largely inaccessible. Army General John Morrison said the DOD has sent 41 aircraft (including helicopters) and 918 vehicles (including all-terrain vehicles) to help clear roads, deliver commodities, provide medical care and search for missing people.

    The number of missing “is rapidly dwindling,” according to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “We know a lot of reunifications have occurred that have not been reported back. We know that a lot of people have finally gotten cell phone service and talked to the people who made the report that hasn’t gotten back to us.” 

    He said he will have an update on the list of missing by Tuesday morning.

    More than 104,000 people in North Carolina have registered for FEMA assistance, he said; $31 million in aid has so far been distributed in the state. About 1,700 people are currently sheltering in hotels.

    Cooper discouraged tourists from traveling to Western North Carolina.

    “We need to preserve roads for the commodities that are coming in, for utility workers, for cell phone workers, for people who are providing medical assistance,” he said. “There’s a lot of work going on to make sure that people are getting their oxygen, making sure they’re getting their regular medical supplies, so we don’t want people coming right now.”

    He said it will take time to repair the hundreds of roads that were damaged by the storm. On Friday, the Biden-Harris administration sent $100 million in emergency funding to North Carolina to repair roads and bridges damaged by the hurricane. Cooper said the state legislature will approve additional funding this week for road repairs.

    FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell encouraged anyone affected by the hurricane to apply for assistance, including $750 in immediate monetary aid to help pay for medicine and food. 

    “Then we’re going to give additional money for the repairs to your homes and the items that were lost,” she said. “We’re going to help with any rental that they incur or any of the displacement costs if they stayed at a hotel. All of that will be reimbursed, but I can’t give it to them if they don’t apply.”

    With Hurricane Milton poised to make landfall in Florida later this week, FMEA said it has the resources and capacity to address multiple disasters simultaneously. 

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Target plans to hire 100,000 seasonal holiday workers

    Target plans to hire 100,000 seasonal holiday workers

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    In anticipation of this year’s holiday shopping season, Target announced Monday it plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers this year. It’s roughly the same number the Minneapolis-based retail giant has hired for the holidays for the past three years, even as many companies brace themselves for an uncertain shopping season with price-wary customers.

    What You Need To Know

    • In anticipation of this year’s holiday shopping season, Target announced Monday it plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers this year

    • It’s roughly the same number of seasonal workers the Minneapolis-based retail giant has hired for the holidays for the past three years

    • Slightly less than 47% of shoppers in a Salesforce Shopping Index analysis say they plan to buy about the same amount this year as they did in 2023; 40% say they plan to buy less

    • Salesforce anticipates sales this November and December to increase 2% compared with 2023, when shoppers increased their holiday spending 3% over the previous year


    Slightly less than 47% of shoppers in a Salesforce Shopping Index analysis say they plan to buy about the same amount this year as they did in 2023; 40% say they plan to buy less. 

    Salesforce anticipates sales this November and December to increase 2% compared with 2023, when shoppers increased their holiday spending 3% over the previous year. 

    According to the 2024 Snagajob Holiday Hiring Report, most seasonal workers are looking to put in 30 to 39 hours weekly as a way to supplement their incomes as households continue to struggle with inflation. 

    Since February 2020, just prior to the COVID pandemic, consumer prices have risen 21.2%, according to a Bankrate analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 

    With many consumers feeling the pinch of inflation, they are seeking seasonal work to help make ends meet. In 2024, the majority of seasonal work job seekers (54%) are looking for a holiday job for the first time this year, according to Snagajob.

    September is when holiday hiring hits its peak, in anticipation of holiday shopping kicking into high gear over the Thanksgiving holiday. About 40% of seasonal workers will be members of Generation Z, the oldest of whom are 27; 25% will be Generation X, who are currently between the ages of 44 and 59.

    Retail tops the list of industries for seasonal work this year, followed by restaurants, hotels, call centers and entertainment. Cashier is the top role employers are hoping to fill, followed by customer service, catering, curbside pickup and event staff. 

    Target’s seasonal hires will help with order pickups and stocking products and will also work at its supply chain facilities.

    Holiday hiring season is kicking into gear just as various new reports show U.S. job growth is slowing. In August, nonfarm payment employment increased by 142,000. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Falling mortgage rates, more inventory shift housing market to buyers

    Falling mortgage rates, more inventory shift housing market to buyers

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    The home-buying season is extending into the fall, as mortgage rates fall and sellers cut prices, according to a new analysis from the real estate website Zillow. 

    What You Need To Know

    • The home-buying season is extending into the fall, as mortgage rates fall and sellers cut prices, according to a new analysis from the real estate website Zillow

    • The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is currently 6.11% — down 0.11% from a day earlier and the lowest rate since February 2023

    • Zillow said mortgage rate declines have decreased monthly payments by more than $100 nationwide

    • About 1.18 million homes are currently on the market — more than any month since September 2020


    “Late summer may be an opportunity for buyers who have been waiting in the wings for a monthly mortgage payment they can qualify for,” Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen said in a statement. 

    She said home buyers have more options because lower mortgage rates are making it easier for them to qualify for loans. More inventory is also becoming available, improving their negotiating power.

    The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is currently 6.11% — down 0.11% from a day earlier and the lowest rate since February 2023. The average 15-year mortgage rate is currently 5.62%.

    Mortgage rates had been climbing since the Federal Reserve began increasing its benchmark rate in March 2022. It peaked last October at 7.79% for a fixed 30-year.

    Zillow said the mortgage rate declines have decreased monthly payments by more than $100 nationwide.

    Other factors are also shifting the housing market toward buyers, after two years favoring sellers.

    Zillow said homes took longer to sell in August than in July but are still selling faster than before the pandemic. About 1.18 million homes are currently on the market — more than any month since September 2020.

    With the Federal Reserve expected to cut rates next week, Zillow anticipates competition among homebuyers increasing this fall.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Study: Most states lag in EV charger infrastructure

    Study: Most states lag in EV charger infrastructure

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    Electric vehicle adoption has long been a chicken-and-egg problem. Buyers say they’re concerned about finding places to recharge, while local, state and federal governments are investing millions to build out charging networks. Still, the number of chargers remains largely insufficient.

    Only a handful of states have the ideal ratio of chargers to EVs, according to a new study from the location data firm HERE Technologies and the global auto research firm SBD Automotive.

    What You Need To Know

    • Only a handful of states have the ideal ratio of chargers to EVs, according to a new study from the location data firm HERE Technologies and the global auto research firm SBD Automotive

    • The report found that eight to 12 EVs per public charging point is the ideal ratio for most areas to make charging easy and seamless

    • Only Washington, D.C.; Connecticut; and Vermont have the ideal EV-to-charger ratio

    • California, which has almost 1 million registered EVs and one of the most developed charging networks in the country with more than  46,000 chargers, ranks 10th among the states, having nearly 20 EVs for every one charger


    For its index, researchers looked at how far a person must drive to find a charger and how quickly the charge happens once there. It also looked at the ratio of EVs on the road compared with gas-powered vehicles, as well as the likelihood of finding an EV charger that is available when it’s needed.

    The report found that eight to 12 EVs per public charging point is the ideal ratio for most areas to make charging easy and seamless. By those criteria, only Washington, D.C.; Connecticut; and Vermont have enough charging infrastructure.

    California, which has nearly 1 million registered EVs and one of the most developed charging networks in the country with more than 46,000 chargers, ranks 10th among the states, having nearly 20 EVs for every one charger.

    Alaska ranks last, followed by Arkansas, Idaho, Tennessee, Nebraska and Texas.

    “While the maturity of charging infrastructure in each state generally follows population density and wealth, the index clearly demonstrates that external factors such as government incentives help equip lower-density areas with much-needed charging capacity,” SBD Automotive EV Principal Robert Fisher said in a statement.

    “Charge point operators and regulators must continue to monitor the ratio of EVs to charging stations and power availability to the size of the EV fleet in communities and along corridors to ensure a seamless ownership experience as EVs go mainstream,” he continued.

    EVs currently make up 8% of auto sales, according to Kelley Blue Book. The Biden-Harris administration has set a goal to make half of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. zero emissions by 2030 and to build 500,000 chargers to make EVs accessible.

    According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the number of electric vehicle charging ports in the country almost doubled over the past three years to 192,000. The agency said about 1,000 new chargers are being built every week.

    The Pew Research Center says 60% of urban Americans live within a mile of a public charging station, compared with 41% of people who live in the suburbs and 17% of people who live in rural areas. 

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Traffic fatalities fall for ninth straight quarter

    Traffic fatalities fall for ninth straight quarter

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    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Traffic fatalities in the first half of 2024 fell 3.2%, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Traffic fatalities in the first half of 2024 fell 3.2%, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday

    • It was the ninth straight quarter of declines for roadways deaths, according to the agency’s early estimate

    • NHTSA estimates that 18,720 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2024

    • The reduction in deaths comes even as drivers logged more miles; according to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2024 were up about 0.8%


    It was the ninth straight quarter of declines for roadways deaths, according to the agency’s early estimate.

    “Reversing the rise in roadway deaths has been a top priority for this Department, so we’re encouraged to see continued reductions in traffic fatalities — yet the overall proportions of this issue remain at crisis levels and there is much more work to do,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. 

    NHTSA estimates that 18,720 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2024. The reduction in deaths comes even as drivers logged more miles. According to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2024 were up about 0.8%. 

    The reversal in roadway deaths follows the highest increase in traffic fatalities ever recorded in the second quarter of 2021 during the COVID pandemic when less traffic prompted more drivers to speed. About a third of traffic deaths are speed-related, according to NHTSA.

    The decline in fatalities in the first half of 2024 was inconsistent across the U.S., falling in 31 states and Puerto Rico but increasing in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Rhode Island saw the largest decline in roadways deaths (-53.8%), followed by Wyoming (-25.8%), Iowa (-20%), Delaware (-17.9%) and Kansas (-15%). 

    Maine (+71.1%) saw the largest increase in roadway deaths, followed by Minnesota (+32.7%), Nebraska (+32.6%), New Jersey (+22.9%) and Nevada (+18.5%). 

    Traffic fatalities were unchanged in Hawaii. 

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Traffic fatalities fall for ninth straight quarter

    Traffic fatalities fall for ninth straight quarter

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    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Traffic fatalities in the first half of 2024 fell 3.2%, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Traffic fatalities in the first half of 2024 fell 3.2%, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday

    • It was the ninth straight quarter of declines for roadways deaths, according to the agency’s early estimate

    • NHTSA estimates that 18,720 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2024

    • The reduction in deaths comes even as drivers logged more miles; according to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2024 were up about 0.8%


    It was the ninth straight quarter of declines for roadways deaths, according to the agency’s early estimate.

    “Reversing the rise in roadway deaths has been a top priority for this Department, so we’re encouraged to see continued reductions in traffic fatalities — yet the overall proportions of this issue remain at crisis levels and there is much more work to do,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. 

    NHTSA estimates that 18,720 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2024. The reduction in deaths comes even as drivers logged more miles. According to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2024 were up about 0.8%. 

    The reversal in roadway deaths follows the highest increase in traffic fatalities ever recorded in the second quarter of 2021 during the COVID pandemic when less traffic prompted more drivers to speed. About a third of traffic deaths are speed-related, according to NHTSA.

    The decline in fatalities in the first half of 2024 was inconsistent across the U.S., falling in 31 states and Puerto Rico but increasing in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Rhode Island saw the largest decline in roadways deaths (-53.8%), followed by Wyoming (-25.8%), Iowa (-20%), Delaware (-17.9%) and Kansas (-15%). 

    Maine (+71.1%) saw the largest increase in roadway deaths, followed by Minnesota (+32.7%), Nebraska (+32.6%), New Jersey (+22.9%) and Nevada (+18.5%). 

    Traffic fatalities were unchanged in Hawaii. 

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Circle K offers 40 cents off per gallon of gas on Thursday

    Circle K offers 40 cents off per gallon of gas on Thursday

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    Heading into the Labor Day weekend, Circle K will offer up to 40 cents off each gallon of gas at participating locations.

    The deal is available at more than 200 locations in California, Oregon and Washington from 4 to 7 p.m. local time on Thursday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Circle K is offering up to 40 cents off per gallon of gas on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. local time

    • The deal is good at more than 200 participating locations

    • The participating stations are in California, Oregon and Washington 

    • The price on the pump reflects the discounted price during that time


    “With summer coming to an end, we want to help our customers squeeze every last drop of adventure with a Fuel Day Pop-Up Event just in time for Labor Day weekend,” Circle K West Coast Vice President of Operations George Wilkins said in a statement.

    The American Automobile Association expects domestic travel this week to be up 9% compared with last year. Nationally, gas prices are averaging about $3.50 per gallon. The current average in California is $4.61.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination, charts ‘a new way forward’

    Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination, charts ‘a new way forward’

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    There were signs, funny costumes, and silly hats. There was a roll call vote that turned into a dance party. There were chants and cheers from “U-S-A” to “We’re Not Going Back,” and even “Lock Him Up.”

    There was an oversized copy of Project 2025. There were accolades about records as a prosecutor, as a U.S. Senator and as vice president. There were speeches about freedom and democracy, about abortion and education and every issue in between. There were protests and demonstrations and arrests.

    There were Obamas. There were Clintons. There was Joe Biden, passing the torch to his former running mate and vice president. There were would-be, passed-over running mates. There was a pep talk, as actual running mate Tim Walz channeled his high school football coaching days — complete with a fight song andcameo from his former players. 

    There were accolades and anecdotes from governors, senators, congressmen, activists, advocates, vice presidential hopefuls, former presidential candidates, and everything in between.

    There were celebrities, from Lil Jon to Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling to Steph Curry (and his Olympic gold medal to boot) and even his coach in Golden State, Chicago Bulls legend Steve Kerr. There were musical performances, from Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” to John Legend and Sheila E. paying tribute to Prince with “Let’s Go Crazy,” a nod to Minnesota’s Walz.

    And there were more than a few pointed comments about former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

    But at the end of the final night of the Democratic National Convention, it came down to Vice President Kamala Harris, accepting the party’s nomination for president of the United States — becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to accept a major party’s nomination — and making the case for her vision of America’s future.

    Harris, who before ascending to Capitol Hill then the vice presidency, was a career prosecutor. And, as a prosecutor, she said she “charged every case not in the name of the victim, but in the name of the people, for one reason: in our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us.”

    “To be clear,” she said, “my entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people.” 

    “And so on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”

    ‘From the courthouse to the White House’: Harris leans on experience as a prosecutor

    Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

    “The path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected, but I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys,” Harris said of her march to the Democratic nomination, recounting the journey of her mother, Shymala, who immigrated to California from India with the “unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer.”

    Harris said that her mother was intended to return home for a traditional arranged marriage — but then she met Donald Harris, a student who emigrated from Jamaica. “They fell in love and got married, and that act of self-determination made my sister Maya and me.”

    She idolized her mother (“a five-foot-tall brown woman with an accent,” she said) who insisted that young Kamala never complain about injustice but “do something about it.”

    Harris said that when she learned that her high school best friend Wanda was being sexually abused by her stepfather, she did something. She said she insisted Wanda stay at the Harris family home, and she did.

    Harris told the audience that fighting for the American people, “from the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work.”

    “I will tell you, these fights were not easy, and neither were the elections that put me in those offices,” Harris said. “We were underestimated at practically every turn, but we never gave up, because the future is always worth fighting for.”

    ‘Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a cease-fire deal done’: Harris calls for an end to the war in Gaza

    Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

    After vowing to keep the country’s military strong and pledging to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and defend the people of Ukraine, Harris turned to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, an issue that has been somewhat of a third-rail within Democratic politics — as evidenced by the protests in Chicago over the course of the DNC’s four days.

    Harris said that she and President Joe Biden are working “around the clock” to get a deal done to end the fighting in Gaza.

    “Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a cease-fire deal done,” she said, before vowing steadfast support for Israel.

    “And let me be clear — I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.”

    She then immediately turned to the situation in Gaza.

    “At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the last 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again, the scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war, such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

    That last line garnered one of the largest cheers of the night.

    “And know this, I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists,” she vowed. “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump — who are rooting for Trump. Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors, they know he won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.”

    “Because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where America belongs,” she concluded.

    On immigration, Harris says U.S. ‘can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border’

    AP Photo

    Harris said her goal was to have the U.S. “live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system” by implementing a “earned pathway to citizenship” while simultaneously securing the border.

    She pointed to the failed bipartisan border deal negotiated earlier this year with some of the most right-wing Republicans in the Senate as evidence of her intentions. That deal would have included tougher asylum standards and hiring more border agents, immigration judges and asylum officers.

    Former President Trump opposed it, and other Republicans, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, joined him in that effort.

    “I refuse to play politics with our security, and here is my pledge to you as president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law,” Harris said, noting “after decades in law enforcement, I know the importance of safety and security, especially at our border.”

    Harris has endorsed comprehensive immigration reform, seeking pathways to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S. without legal status, with a faster track for young immigrants living in the country illegally who arrived as children.

    As he watched the speech, Trump responded on social media, calling the border bill “one of the worst ever written” and claimed that Harris “wants to spend all of our money on Illegal Immigrants,” calling her a “RADICAL MARXIST.” 

    On abortion rights, Harris blames Trump for overturning Roe

    Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Harris said Americans cannot be prosperous unless they can make their own decisions about their own lives — including women’s control over their own bodies.

    “Too many women are not able to make those decisions,” Harris said, more than two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion.

    Harris, who has championed the Biden administration’s abortion rights efforts, said she had met with women across the country who shared stories of miscarrying in parking lots and losing their ability to have children because doctors are too afraid to treat pregnant women.

    “Couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments, children who have survived sexual assault, potentially being forced to carry a pregnancy to term,” she said.

    She contended that Trump will continue to erode women’s rights by limiting access to birth control, ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. She said he also plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator that would force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortion.

    “Simply put, they are out of their minds,” she charged.

    ‘Let us write the next great chapter’: Harris urges Americans to move forward with optimism

    Balloons are released after Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Mike Segar/Pool via AP)

    Shyamala Harris had another lesson for her daughters: “‘Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are.’ America, let’s show each other, and the world who we are.”

    This is the moment, Harris said, to demonstrate the hope, the privilege, the pride of being an American.

    “Everywhere I go, in everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America.”

    She continued the narrative, pushed throughout the convention, that a Trump presidency was about negativity and moving backward.

    “We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world,” she said. “And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment.”

    “Let’s get out there, let’s vote for it, and together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”

    AP Photo

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  • Children and adolescents experience long COVID differently than adults

    Children and adolescents experience long COVID differently than adults

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    Children and adolescents with long COVID experience different effects than adults, according to new research from the National Institutes of Health released Thursday.

    School-age children from 6 to 11 years old who had prolonged symptoms after an initial COVID infection were more likely to experience headaches, while adolescents reported more feelings of daytime sleepiness.

    What You Need To Know

    • School-age children from 6 to 11 years old who had prolonged symptoms after an initial COVID infection were more likely to experience headaches

    • Adolescents with long COVID reported more feelings of daytime sleepiness, according to new research from the National Institutes of Health

    • Long COVID, or persistent health problems after an initial infection, manifest in multiple ways and can last for weeks, months or years

    • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Household Pulse Survey found that 6.7% of U.S. adults were experiencing long COVID as of March


    “Most research characterizing long COVID symptoms is focused on adults, which can lead to the misperception that long COVID in children is rare or that their symptoms are like those of adults,” NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Division Director David Goff said in a statement. “Because the symptoms can vary from child to child or present in different patterns, without a proper characterization of symptoms across the life span, it’s difficult to know how to optimize care for affected children and adolescents.”

    Long COVID, or persistent health problems after an initial infection, manifest in multiple ways and can last for weeks, months or years. Affecting people of all ages from children to older adults, as well as people from different races and ethnicities, sexes and genders and with different health statuses, it is a “complex, multisystem disorder that affects nearly every organ system, including the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the endocrine system, the immune system, the reproductive system and the gastrointestinal system,” according to the World Health Organization.

    The NIH study found that children aged 6 to 11 with long COVID were most likely to experience headaches (57%), trouble with memory or focusing (44%), trouble sleeping (44%) and stomach pain (43%). In adolescents, the most common symptoms were daytime tiredness/sleepiness or low energy (80%); body, muscle or joint pain (60%); headaches (55%) and trouble with memory or focusing (47%). 

    For its study, the NIH surveyed 3,860 children and adolescents infected with COVID between March 2022 and December 2023 and compared them with 1,516 children and adolescents who did not have a history of COVID infection. All participants were surveyved about symptoms they experienced for at least a month 90 days after getting COVID.

    In adults, the most common types of long COVID are brain fog, fatigue, tachycadia and post-exertional malaise, according to research published in Nature Medicine earlier this month. That study found the risk of long COVID varies by variant. Omicron, first detected in November 2021, had less long COVID risk than the Delta and pre-Delta variants that were most prevalent globally between June and November 2021. 

    People who were vaccinated before becoming infected or who took antivirals while they were infected had a lower risk of long COVID, according to the Nature Medicine study. People who were reinfected with COVID, however, were more at risk. Cumulatively, two infections created a higher risk of long COVID than one infection and three infections created a higher risk than two infections. Reinfections can make existing long COVID symptoms worse.

    About 400 million people globally have had long COVID, the World Health Organization said earlier this month. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Household Pulse Survey found that 6.7% of U.S. adults were experiencing long COVID as of March.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • U.S. created 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported

    U.S. created 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported

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    The U.S. economy made fewer job gains than initially reported between March 2023 and 2024. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual revision said 818,000 fewer jobs had been created over the previous year — a 0.5% decrease from what the Labor Department had initially reported.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual revision said 818,000 fewer jobs had been created between March 2023 and March 2024

    • The revision marks a 0.5% decrease

    • The downward revision comes as Vice President Kamala Harris makes job creation a central tenet of her campaign

    • On Monday, President Biden said his administration had created 16 million jobs


    The revision comes two days before Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to give a speech signaling the Fed’s inclination to reduce interest rates at its September meeting. The bank began raising rates from almost zero in March 2022 to 5.5% in March 2023, where they have remained at a 23-year high.

    Many economists expect the Federal Reserve to begin cutting its benchmark interest rate next month.

    The downward revision in jobs numbers comes as Vice President Kamala Harris makes job creation one of the central tenets of her presidential campaign. On the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, President Biden said he and Harris had created 16 million new jobs since taking office.

    Former President Donald Trump mentioned the downwardly revised job numbers at his speech in Michigan yesterday.

    “Nobody’s ever seen 600,000 to 1 million jobs less,” he said. “That’s a terrible insult to our economy because we were seeing numbers that were OK, not great, but when adjusted, they’re a disaster.”

    And Trump’s surrogates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago agreed.

    “This is not a unique occurrence,” Brian Hughes, senior communications adviser to the Trump campaign, at a press conference on Wednesday, adding: “There have been frequent large-scale downard adjustments to the statistics touted by Harris and [President Joe] Biden as evidence of some sort of economic recovery or new job growth.”

    “It’s time to hold them accountable,” he added, accusing the administration of “inflating” the number and then “quietly” revising it downward.

    But Biden administration official Jared Bernstein, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, sought to emphasize that it’s unrelated to the nation’s jobs recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The *preliminary* (it will change before it’s official) payroll benchmark revision doesn’t change the fact that this has been and remains a strong jobs recovery, powering real wage gains, solid consumer spending, and record small biz creation,” he wrote on social media.

    “Important: neither the preliminary nor final revision directly affect estimates of job growth in recent months – important to keep in mind when assessing today’s labor market,” Bernstein added.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Pre-diabetes medication dramatically reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, study says

    Pre-diabetes medication dramatically reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, study says

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    A new drug shows promising signs of reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Tirzepatide, better known by the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro, reduced diabetes risk by 94% in adults who are overweight, obese or who have pre-diabetes, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company said Tuesday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Tirzepatide, better known by the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro, reduced diabetes risk by 94% in adults who are overweight, obese or who have pre-diabetes, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company said Tuesday

    • A three year-study of patients who took the injectable medication once a week found patients who took a 15-milligram dose also lost an average of 22.9% of their body weight throughout the treatment period

    • Obesity is a chronic disease that puts nearly 900 million adults worldwide at an increased risk of other complications such as type 2 diabetes

    • A type of GLP-1 Agonist, tirzepatide is one of a growing class of drugs that improve blood sugar control and help reduce weight


    A three year-study of patients who took the injectable medication once a week found patients who took a 15-milligram dose also lost an average of 22.9% of their body weight throughout the treatment period.

    “Obesity is a chronic disease that puts nearly 900 million adults worldwide at an increased risk of other complications such as type 2 diabetes,” Lilly Senior Vice President of Product Development Jeff Emmick said in a statement.

    Tirzepatide works by regulating appetites and caloric intake. It also stimulates the secretion of insulin. A type of GLP-1 Agonist, tirzepatide is one of a growing class of drugs that improve blood sugar control and help reduce weight.

    Drugs including Trulicity, Ozempic and Rybelsus used to treat type 2 diabetes may also lead to weight loss.

    For its study, Lilly evaluated 1,032 adults with prediabetes or who were obese or overweight for 176 weeks of treatment. 

    During a 17-week follow-up period after treatment, patients who stopped using tirzepatide began to regain weight and had a slight increase in their progression to type 2 diabetes, the study found.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Elon Musk denies reports of him contributing $45M monthly to Trump campaign

    Elon Musk denies reports of him contributing $45M monthly to Trump campaign

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    One week after the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk planned to contribute about $45 million a month to a new political action committee supporting former President Donald Trump, the billionaire owner of X, SpaceX and Tesla denied the claim.

    What You Need To Know

    • Elon Musk said Tuesday that he is not contributing $45 million monthly to former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign

    • On July 16, the Wall Street Journal reported that the world’s richest man planned to contribute the sum through a super PAC he helped create

    • Musk told ABC News reporter Arthur Jones that the report “was a fiction made up by the Wall Street Journal”

    • He confirmed he helped create a Super PAC called the America PAC focused on meritocracy and individual freedom, to which he is contributing “at a much lower level”


    “At no point did I say that I was donating $45 million a month to Trump,” he told ABC News on Wednesday. “That was a fiction made up by the Wall Street Journal.”

    The Wall Street Journal has neither retracted nor clarified its report.

    On Tuesday, Musk told media commentator Jordan Peterson the claim was “simply not true.”

    He confirmed he created a so-called Super PAC called the America PAC and posted on X Tuesday that he is making contributions “at a much lower level.”

    The key values of America PAC “are supporting a meritocracy and individual freedom,” he wrote. “Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit and freedom.”

    America PAC is reportedly backed by venture capitalist and Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, who formerly backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the GOP nomination, and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, cryptocurrency entrepreneurs who sued Mark Zuckerberg over claims he stole their idea to create social media giant Facebook.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Instability of key NATO members hampers ability to respond to global threats

    Instability of key NATO members hampers ability to respond to global threats

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    Political turmoil in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are affecting NATO’s ability to address global challenges, the Center for European Policy Analysis said Monday.

    The group made its assessment one day before the annual NATO Summit kicks off in Washington DC with representatives from its 32 members countries.

    What You Need To Know

    • Political turmoil in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are affecting NATO’s ability to address global challenges, the Center for European Policy Analysis said Monday

    • Last week’s ouster of the conservative party in the UK, Sunday’s fractured elections in France and the upcoming presidential election in the US are among the many factors challenging NATO as its members convene in Washington this week

    • The summit is taking place as the organization celebrates 75 years of a collective defense pact

    • Continuing to aid Ukraine’s defense against Russia is one of the top concerns at this year’s summit


    “We see this increasing openness with which North Korea, Iran, Russia and China are teaming up and potentially others in the world outside of the West,” CEPA Transatlantic Defense and Security Fellow Minna Alander said in a briefing Monday. “Is the West able to keep a say on things? When it comes to the alliance itself, the big countries really need to get their act together.”

    Last week’s ouster of the conservative party in the UK, Sunday’s fractured elections in France and the upcoming presidential election in the US are among the many factors challenging NATO as its members convene in Washington this week. Continuing to aid Ukraine’s defense against Russia is one of the top concerns at this year’s summit, as well as considering whether to admit Ukraine to the group.

    The summit is taking place as the organization celebrates 75 years of a collective defense pact. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 after World War II to counteract Soviet aggressions toward Europe. This week’s event will kick off in the Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. where the treaty was first signed.

    NATO is facing “a totally different threat than we faced 75 years ago,” CEPA International Leadership Council Member Stephen Twitty said. “Heck, we face a totally different threat than we faced five years ago.”

    He listed illicit missile defense, space-based technology, cyber technology, disinformation and information wars as threatening global security.

    “We have to prepare ourselves as part of NATO not only for today but the future because we’re operating in the future now,” he said. “We’re seeing the way war is evolving and how dynamic it is on the European continent with Ukraine” and in Israel’s war in Gaza.

    Twitty expects one of the points that will be discussed at this week’s NATO Summit will be increasing member countries’ industrial military capacity to support Ukraine while also maintaining their own readiness for war. CEPA said Spain, Greece and other countries could help the Ukraine war effort by supplying Patriot missile systems to bolster what the U.S. and Germany have already provided.

    The group also said that NATO needs to discuss the possibility of Ukraine being more offensive in its war strategy, saying that air defense alone is like chemotherapy without removing the tumor.

    CEPA said NATO needs to do a better job of figuring out its thresholds for collective defense and for improving the resilience of its members. As it stands, the U.S. plays an outsize role.

    During his time in office, former President Donald Trump routinely berated European allies for their over-reliance on the U.S. for military support and funding and their failure to commit 2% of gross domestic product for defense. This year, 23 of NATO’s 32 member countries meet that threshold, up from nine in 2021.

    “It’s very simple. Nothing is more successful than success. We have to win,” CEPA Transatlantic Defense and Security Senior Fellow Nico Lange said about NATO during the briefing. “Winning means whoever tries to attack a member of the alliance will have to lose. That has to be clear.”

    He said Ukraine’s lack of NATO membership “is exactly the gray zone Vladimir Putin tries to exploit. Not having him exploiting the gray zone and showing strength and resilience, that is most important for NATO now.”

    Still, it is unlikely that the U.S. and Germany will extend an invitation to start membership accession talks for Ukraine this week. Barring Ukraine from joining NATO, however, incentivizes Russia to keep the war going, CEPA said, and is a contentious issue within NATO.

    “The key question for Putin is not a few square kilometers in Ukraine here or there,” he said. “The key question for him is to challenge the European security order.”

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Power adapters for popular sound machine recalled for shock hazard

    Power adapters for popular sound machine recalled for shock hazard

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    The power adapter for a popular sound machine is being recalled, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced this week.

    Adapters sold with Hatch Rest 1st Generation devices can lose their plastic housings when removed from a power outlet and poses a shock hazard to consumers.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for Hatch Rest 1st Generation sound machine power adapters

    • The adapters can lose their plastic housings when removed from a power outlet and poses a shock hazard to consumers

    • The recall affects about 919,000 devices in the U.S. sold between 2019 and 2022

    • Hatch said the recall affects the power adapter only, not the device, and is providing replacement power cords to impacted customers


    About 919,400 devices in the U.S., and 44,352 in Canada, are affected.

    On its website, Hatch said it had issued a voluntary recall for the power adapters that were issued with the 1st generation devices sold between 2019 and 2022.

    “This recall is specific to power adapters issued by Jiangsu Chenyang Electron Co.,” the company said.

    The recall applies to the power adapter only, not the device.

    “Once a replacement power adapter is issued, the Hatch Rest 1st Generation device is safe to continue using.”

    Hatch said it is no longer sourcing its power adapters from Jiangsu Chenyang Electron Co.

    “All current power adapter manufacturing partners have exceeded industry safety standards,” it said.

    Hatch is offering a free power cord to its impacted customers.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Study: COVID infections increase brain, gut and lung issues

    Study: COVID infections increase brain, gut and lung issues

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    People infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of brain, gut and lung issues three years later, according to a study published in the medical journal Nature Medicine.

    While health problems resulting from a COVID-19 infection fell each year, they remained elevated for people who were hospitalized with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

    What You Need To Know

    • People infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of brain, gut and lung issues three years later, according to a study published in the medical journal, Nature Medicine

    • Those who had been hospitalized for COVID had a higher death rate compared with those who had not been hospitalized or who had never contracted the virus

    • Hospitalized COVID patients were at higher risk for more health issues than those who had COVID but were not hospitalized, including cardiovascular and coagulation issues, as well as fatigue and mental problems

    • Health risks resulting from a COVID infection fell each year


    For their study, researchers looked at 135,161 U.S. veterans who had been infected with COVID-19 and compared them with more than 5 million patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system who had not been infected. Of the enrollees who were infected with COVID, 15% had been hospitalized.

    All of the patients were enrolled in the study between March and December 2020, before COVID vaccines were available and when the first strain of COVID-19 was dominant. For the next three years, the patients were evaluated for death and disease risk.

    The researchers found those who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 had a higher death rate compared with those who had not been hospitalized or who had never contracted the virus three years later. But it also found that regardless of whether a person was hospitalized, those infected with COVID remained at higher risk for gastrointestinal, neurologic and pulmonary problems three years later.

    People who had been hospitalized were at higher risk for even more issues three years later, including cardiovascular and coagulation problems, as well as fatigue and mental issues.

    Those who had been hospitalized had 8.4 times more health loss compared with those who had COVID but didn’t need to go to the hospital.

    “The explanation may be related, in part, to the vulnerability of people who develop severe COVID-19 with respect to more co-existing medical conditions, immune system dysfunction or genetic predisposition,” the researchers said.

    They said other studies have found a link between severe COVID infections and persistent health risks in various tissues and organ systems, suggesting “that severity of acute infection is a key driver of the expression of long-term adverse health outcomes.”

    The researchers noted that longer-term studies will be necessary to learn how infected individuals’ health risk trajectories evolve.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Study: COVID infections increase brain, gut and lung issues

    Study: COVID infections increase brain, gut and lung issues

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    People infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of brain, gut and lung issues three years later, according to a study published in the medical journal Nature Medicine.

    While health problems resulting from a COVID-19 infection fell each year, they remained elevated for people who were hospitalized with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

    What You Need To Know

    • People infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of brain, gut and lung issues three years later, according to a study published in the medical journal, Nature Medicine

    • Those who had been hospitalized for COVID had a higher death rate compared with those who had not been hospitalized or who had never contracted the virus

    • Hospitalized COVID patients were at higher risk for more health issues than those who had COVID but were not hospitalized, including cardiovascular and coagulation issues, as well as fatigue and mental problems

    • Health risks resulting from a COVID infection fell each year


    For their study, researchers looked at 135,161 U.S. veterans who had been infected with COVID-19 and compared them with more than 5 million patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system who had not been infected. Of the enrollees who were infected with COVID, 15% had been hospitalized.

    All of the patients were enrolled in the study between March and December 2020, before COVID vaccines were available and when the first strain of COVID-19 was dominant. For the next three years, the patients were evaluated for death and disease risk.

    The researchers found those who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 had a higher death rate compared with those who had not been hospitalized or who had never contracted the virus three years later. But it also found that regardless of whether a person was hospitalized, those infected with COVID remained at higher risk for gastrointestinal, neurologic and pulmonary problems three years later.

    People who had been hospitalized were at higher risk for even more issues three years later, including cardiovascular and coagulation problems, as well as fatigue and mental issues.

    Those who had been hospitalized had 8.4 times more health loss compared with those who had COVID but didn’t need to go to the hospital.

    “The explanation may be related, in part, to the vulnerability of people who develop severe COVID-19 with respect to more co-existing medical conditions, immune system dysfunction or genetic predisposition,” the researchers said.

    They said other studies have found a link between severe COVID infections and persistent health risks in various tissues and organ systems, suggesting “that severity of acute infection is a key driver of the expression of long-term adverse health outcomes.”

    The researchers noted that longer-term studies will be necessary to learn how infected individuals’ health risk trajectories evolve.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • New Labor Department rules for overtime pay take effect

    New Labor Department rules for overtime pay take effect

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    Millions of workers will be eligible for overtime pay under a new Department of Labor rule that took effect Monday.

    The majority of salaried workers who earn less than $844 weekly can now be compensated for working more than 40 hours per week.

    What You Need To Know

    • Starting Monday, about 1 million workers who make less than $43,888 annually are eligible for overtime

    • The majority of salaried workers who earn less than $844 weekly can now be compensated for working more than 40 hours per week

    • Starting next year, the protections will extend to 3 million workers when the overtime threshold increases to $58,656 annually, or $1,128 per week

    • In April, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a rule about minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administration and professional employees


    “A hard day’s work should lead to a fair day’s pay,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday.

    Effective July 1, the overtime protections extend to 1 million workers who make less than $43,888 a year. The previous threshold was a weekly salary of $684 or less or an annual salary of $35,568.

    Starting next year, the protections will extend to 3 million workers when the overtime threshold increases to $58,656 annually, or $1,128 per week.

    “That means higher paychecks and more time with family for millions of Americans,” the president said.

    In April, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a rule about minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administration and professional employees. The rule increases standard salary levels and total annual compensation levels for highly compensated employees.

    Under the new rule, the total yearly compensation for highly compensated employees who are exempt from overtime pay also increases from $107,432 to $132,964. Next January, it increases again to $151,164 annually.

    Starting January 1, 2025, the department will use a different methodology to calculate the salary and compensation levels, which will be updated every three years to incorporate up-to-date earnings information.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Consumer sentiment holds steady in June, despite concerns about high prices

    Consumer sentiment holds steady in June, despite concerns about high prices

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    Consumer sentiment held steady in June, falling 1% from May, according to the newest University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

    Americans said they believe inflation will continue to weaken but are concerned about high prices and weak incomes affecting their personal finances.

    What You Need To Know

    • Consumer sentiment held steady in June, falling 1% from May, according to the newest University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers

    • Americans said they believe inflation will continue to weaken

    • They remain concerned about high prices and weak incomes affecting their personal finances

    • The Commerce Department reported Friday that the core personal consumption expenditures price index increased 2.6% in May compared with a year ago


    “Over the past two years, our surveys clearly reveal that consumers distinguish between their experiences with high price levels and their views of overall inflation rates,” Surveys of Consumers Chief Economist Joanne Hsu said in a statement.

    “On one hand, they recognize that inflation has softened substantially and expect that trend to continue,” she said. “On the other hand, slowing inflation does not generally lead to reductions in overall price levels; the persistence of high prices continue to exert pain on household budgets.”

    About 46% of respondents in the June survey said high prices had eroded their living standards. Just 12% said it is a good time to buy a house — a reflection of near-record home prices and mortgage rates that are more than double what they were two years ago.

    While consumers expect home values to continue increasing in the short and long term, a growing percentage of consumers expect interest rates to fall in the coming year.

    The June consumer sentiment report comes hours after the Commerce Department reported the core personal consumption expenditures price index increased 2.6% compared with a year ago — the lowest annual rate since March 2021. While personal incomes rose 0.5% in May, consumer spending increased by 0.2%.

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    Susan Carpenter

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