Stocks open broadly higher on Wall Street, with tech leading

Stocks are opening broadly higher on Wall Street, with big-name technology companies again leading the way. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% in the first few minutes of trading Thursday. The index is coming off its second quarter of big gains. Trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was suspended because of a technical...

US layoffs remain elevated as 837,000 seek jobless aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. The Labor Department's report, released Thursday, suggests that companies are still cutting a...

Unemployment marches higher in Europe as pandemic grinds on

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Unemployment rose for a fifth straight month in Europe in August and is expected to grow further amid concern that extensive government support programs won't be able keep many businesses hit by coronavirus restrictions afloat forever. The jobless rate increased to 8.1% in the 19...

Consumer spending gains slow to 1.5% in August while incomes fell by 2.7% as government benefit programs expired

Check's in the mail? Trump doling out aid before election

CHICAGO (AP) — It's almost as if he's writing a personal check. In recent days, President Donald Trump has promised millions of Medicare recipients that — thanks to him — they'll soon be getting an “incredible” $200 card in the mail to help them pay for prescriptions. He's...

Trump plans to slash refugee admissions to US to record low

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration has proposed further slashing the number of refugees the United States accepts to a new record low in the coming year. In a notice sent to Congress late Wednesday, just 34 minutes before a statutory deadline to do so, the administration said it intended to admit a...

Expanded Medicaid begins in Nebraska after years of dispute

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska will officially offer expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income people starting Thursday after years of wrangling over it in the Legislature, a statewide ballot campaign that led voters to approve it and a nearly two-year rollout that left some people in health care limbo. The...

The Latest: Trump casts election doubts, Biden urges voting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 presidential election (all times local): 10:50 p.m. President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are painting a very different picture of the reliability of the upcoming election. Biden urged voters to cast their ballots and not be intimidated by Trump’s...

The Latest: UN chief cites pandemic's 'unprecedent toll'

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations chief says the COVID-19 pandemic has taken “an unprecedent toll” especially on the economies of many developing countries and the world has not responded with “the massive and urgent support those countries and communities need.” Secretary-General...

Oklahoma's upset loss to Kansas St. opens up Big 12 race

It took one week for the Big 12 to bring just a little more strangeness to the year 2020. Five-time defending conference champion Oklahoma opened league play with a shocking home loss to Kansas State, perhaps opening the door for another program to finally to step in and claim the title. Iowa State, a rising...