BUSINESS

Biden: Budget talks hit ‘stalemate,’ $3.5T may take a while

WASHINGTON  — President Joe Biden said Friday that talks over his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan have hit a “stalemate” in Congress as he made the case… Read more

US unemployment claims rise after hitting pandemic low

WASHINGTON  — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits moved up last week to 332,000 from a pandemic low, a sign that the spread of the… Read more

Illegal marijuana farms take West’s scarce water

LA PINE, Ore. — Jack Dwyer pursued a dream of getting back to the land by moving in 1972 to an idyllic, tree-studded parcel in Oregon with a creek… Read more

Could Texas abortion ban strategy be double-edged sword?

SALT LAKE CITY  — The unusual legal strategy used to ban most abortions in Texas is already increasingly being employed in Republican-led states to… Read more

California fire threat high despite progress near Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — California could be on track for one of its worst fire seasons ever as hotter, drier conditions across the north raise the… Read more

Group behind Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil denies foreign ties

HONG KONG  — The group behind the annual Tiananmen Square memorial vigil in Hong Kong said Sunday it will not cooperate with police conducting a national… Read more

Do we need humans for that job? Automation booms after COVID

Ask for a roast beef sandwich at an Arby’s drive-thru east of Los Angeles and you may be talking to Tori — an artificially intelligent voice assistant… Read more

US hiring slows to just 235,000 jobs after 2 strong months

WASHINGTON — America’s employers added just 235,000 jobs in August, a surprisingly weak gain after two months of robust hiring at a time when the delta… Read more