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Senate passes more spending

WASHINGTON — Congress is halfway home in approving government funding for the current budget year that began Oct. 1 after the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a three-bill package. Now comes the hard part. Lawmakers still must negotiate a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security amid soaring tensions on Capitol Hill after the shooting of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Lawmakers are working to complete passage of all 12 annual spending bills before Jan. 30, the deadline set in a funding patch that ended a 43-day government ...

Ticker: Retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.6% in November

Shoppers increased their spending in November from October as holiday shopping kicked into full gear. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in November, following a revised 0.1% decline October, according to the Commerce Department. The report on Wednesday was delayed more than a month because of the 43-day government shutdown. Luxury retailer Saks files for bankruptcy Luxury retailer Saks Global has filed for bankruptcy, preparing to reposition itself after obtaining about $1.75 billion in financing commitments. The private company that owns retailers Saks Fifth Avenue and ...

SFU sets business webinar

LORETTO SFU sets business webinar The Saint Francis University Small Business Development Center and Somerset Trust Company have scheduled a free pre-business planning webinar for 4 p.m. Jan. 28. This free, online webinar is for people who are interested in opening and operating their own business. Topics to be discussed are feasibility issues, marketing, recordkeeping, business plans, legal issues, regulations, taxes and financing. Pre-registration is required. If interested, contact the SBDC at 814-472-3200 or register online at ...

Musk’s AI Grok generates sexualized images of kids

Just days after a global backlash erupted over Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok generating sexualized deepfakes of women and children, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon will embrace the technology. Hegseth said Monday that Grok will soon be deployed on “every unclassified and classified network” throughout the department. U.S. officials are endorsing the technology even as governments around the world have condemned it. Rising alarm from disparate nations points to the nightmarish potential of nudification apps that use artificial intelligence to generate sexually ...

Ticker: Wall Street execs warn Trump to stop Fed attack

Wall Street’s relationship with the Trump administration is souring. Bank executives warned the White House on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s policies and the Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell could harm the economy. BNY CEO Robin Vince criticized attacks on the Fed’s independence, saying it could raise interest rates. Tariffs to pressure Iran could raise prices in US President Donald Trump has once again drawn his go-to diplomatic weapon — tariffs — to coerce the Iranian government to end its bloody crackdown on ...

Peace on all fronts: Time-saving services could ease marriage tension

It turns out, love may benefit from a little less labor. Couples who spend money on time-saving services — like getting takeout, hiring a housecleaner or calling a dog walker — report greater relationship satisfaction, especially during stressful periods, says Ashley Whillans, a ...