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House approves bipartisan housing bill

WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval Tuesday to a broad bipartisan bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing, with lawmakers in both parties eager to show progress on affordability issues ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The 358-32 vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law Wednesday at the Capitol. The Senate passed the legislation 85-5 on Monday. The legislation would reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews, speed up the construction process and curb the influence of corporate landlords by limiting their ...

Chemours to pay $450M to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case

The Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with chemical giant Chemours Co. over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as PFAS. Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5 million for alleged violations and spend $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges in three ...

Nation’s biggest banks clear Fed test

All 32 of the nation’s biggest banks passed the Federal Reserve’s annual “stress test” of the financial system, the central bank said Wednesday, a sign that the banking system would remain healthy even if a major economic contraction occurred. The annual stress test measures whether a bank’s capital, a financial cushion it uses to absorb losses, would remain at healthy levels even after hundreds of billions of dollars in projected losses. The tests are required under the Dodd-Frank Act, the law passed after the 2008 financial crisis that nearly brought down the global ...

Briefcase: Nominations open for Centre County awards

STATE COLLEGE The Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County has opened nominations for the 2026 Centre County Business Awards, presented by Stuckey Automotive. These awards recognize local businesses and individuals whose work strengthens the economy and enhances the quality of life across the region. The Centre County Business Awards is a cornerstone event recognizing outstanding achievement through a peer-led nomination and selection process The six awards categories are: Nonprofit of the Year; ATHENA Champion Leadership Award; Emerging Business of the Year; Small Business of ...

Ticker: Trump refuses to sign bipartisan housing bill

A sprawling legislative package aimed at lowering the cost of housing and spurring more home construction won broad bipartisan approval from Congress this week, but it’s hit a major roadblock in becoming law. Although the White House supported the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, President Donald Trump canceled the housing bill signing ceremony on Wednesday. He says he won’t sign the measure until Congress passes separate election reform legislation. The delay could impact aspiring homeowners and renters at a time when many Americans are burdened by the cost of housing. Tech ...

Briefcase: Sharp drops in Big Tech pull indexes lower

Pullbacks in big technology companies sent indexes lower on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 1.4% Tuesday. The selling was concentrated in AI-related companies that have had huge run-ups in recent months and sent the market to record after record, most recently in early June. Investors are becoming worried that the growing likelihood of interest rate hikes this year to fight inflation will weigh on economic growth. The Nasdaq fell 2.2%. The Dow, which has less weighting in tech, held up better with a drop of just 0.1%. Chip companies, which have soared in recent weeks, sank. Micron ...