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Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks on Capitol Hill, on Jan. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Getty Images/TNS)

The Week Ahead: Why interest rates and reputation are on the lunch menu for the Fed chairman and investors

Last week it was the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee shaping monetary policy and investor expectations. In the week ahead, it will be the Fed’s open mouth practices at work. … more

Tom Hudson, Miami Herald (TNS) | 2/4/23

The flag of the People's Republic of China flies in the wind above the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco on July 23, 2020. (Philip Pacheco/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

What you need to know about the suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the US

The U.S. Defense Department says it’s monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, as of Friday floating over the Central U.S. and underscoring mutual suspicion … more

Low De Wei, Kari Lindberg and Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 2/3/23

Recent research shows that eating less is more effective for weight loss than intermittent fasting, striking a blow at many popular diets.

Eating less beats intermittent fasting for weight loss, study says

Eating smaller meals and cutting calories is a more effective way to manage weight than intermittent fasting, when consumption is restricted to a narrow window of time. That’s the conclusion … more

By Low De Wei, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 2/3/23

The U.S. Supreme Court stands on Dec. 11, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court to weigh legality of government keeping revenue from seized properties

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case of a Minneapolis woman in her 90s whose condo was seized by Hennepin County because she didn't pay her property taxes.The 2015 … more

By Dave Orrick, Star Tribune (TNS) | 2/2/23

A home for sale in Cedar Park on Dec. 1, 2022.

US mortgage rates retreat to 6.23%, lowest in four months

U.S. mortgage rates fell to a four-month low last week, supporting more home purchases and refinancing.The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage decreased 19 basis points to 6.23% in the week … more

By Molly Smith and Laura Curtis, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 2/2/23

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a press conference with organizers of “The People’s Convoy” near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2022.

Ted Cruz, who’s running for a third term, again files bill to limit U.S. senators to two terms

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced a bill last week to limit senators from serving more than two six-year terms, even as he stands by plans to run for his third. The bill is a constitutional … more

By Julia Forrest, The Texas Tribune | 2/1/23

New — and old — strategies for cash-strapped home buyers

Housing prices have more doubled during the past decade, and mortgage rates have done the same in less than a year. So what's a cash-strapped home buyer to do?Buy a duplex and use the rental income … more

By Jim Buchta, Star Tribune (TNS) | 2/1/23

Several homes under construction in the Travisso development in Leander last August. The homes in the area were listed to sell from $800,000 to more than $1.1 million.

Renting a house is now more affordable than buying one across the US

Home prices dropped more than 11% in Cedar Park last month, while the average price of homes sold in Leander jumped by nearly 13%. And a national report showed that renting a median priced … more

Staff and Wire Reports | 1/31/23

Survey: US citizens report more debt, less savings than immigrants

A national survey revealed that key financial services — including credit cards and home loans — remain out of reach for many immigrants who are not yet U.S. citizens.But immigrants lead when it … more

By Juan Carlos Chavez, Tampa Bay Times (TNS) | 1/30/23

Student loan borrowers stage a rally in front of the White House to celebrate President Joe Biden canceling student debt on Aug. 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Feds propose new rules aimed at helping borrowers repay student loans

The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday unveiled proposed new regulations that officials said would make it easier to afford student loans payments.The changes would revamp how federal … more

By Vanessa McCray, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/30/23

A "now hiring" sign is displayed in a window of a store in Manhattan on Dec. 2, 2022.

US jobless claims drop to 190,000, lowest level since September

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, sliding to the lowest level since September and underscoring a strong jobs market where many businesses are reluctant to let … more

By Reade Pickert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/29/23

Of those carrying credit card debt from month to month, nearly half don't know what their don't know the attached interest rates.

Survey: More Americans are carrying debt, and many of them don’t know their APRs

Despite the increase in revolving debt carriers, Americans’ favorite credit card perk has nothing to do with their APRs. Cash back is the most-favored credit card feature, far above low APR, wide … more

By Erica Sandberg, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/28/23

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred greater access to telehealth.

Behavioral telehealth loses momentum without a regulatory boost

Controlled substances became a little less controlled during the pandemic. That benefited both patients (for their health) and telehealth startups (to make money).Some potentially addictive … more

By Darius Tahir, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 1/27/23

Hundreds protest a Trump administration announcement this week that rescinds an Obama-era order allowing transgender students to use school bathrooms matching their gender identities, at the Stonewall Inn on Feb. 23, 2017, in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS)

Nearly 9 in 10 trans youth say recent wave of anti-LGBTQ policies negatively affected their mental health, poll says

The recent explosion in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country is dramatically affecting LGBTQ youth — especially transgender and nonbinary kids and young adults — according to a poll … more

Muri Assunção, New York Daily News (TNS) | 1/26/23

US inflation cools again, putting Fed on track to downshift

U.S. inflation continued to slow in December, adding to evidence price pressures have peaked and putting the Federal Reserve on track to again slow the pace of interest-rate hikes.The overall … more

By Reade Pickert, Bloomberg News (TNS) | 1/26/23

The Supreme Court agreed to rule on extending federal civil rights law to protect workers who seek to take time off for religious observance.

Supreme Court appears set to expand workers’ right to time off for religious observance

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to rule on extending federal civil rights law to protect workers who seek to take time off for religious observance.The justices voted to hear an appeal … more

By David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/26/23

Lawyer Diane Toscano, who represents Abby Zwerner, the Newport News, Virginia, teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student, reads a statement to media on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Newport News. (Mike Caudill/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS)

Leadership at Virginia school ‘failed to act’ after 3 warnings boy had gun on day of shooting, attorney says

Richneck Elementary School teacher Abigail Zwerner intends to file a lawsuit against the Newport News school division after school administrators “failed to act” before she … more

Kelsey Kendall and Peter Dujardin, Daily Press (TNS) | 1/25/23

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates reached 6.48% on Jan. 5, 2023, nearly 50% higher than in January of 2019. (Jon Rehg/Dreamstime/TNS)

‘Housing will remain weak throughout the winter,’ economist says

There is one troubling word that Freddie Mac’s chief economist Sam Khater uses to describe the winter 2023 housing market: weak. “The housing market remains in the doldrums with … more

Hunter Boyce, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/25/23

Vaccination rates among children in the U.S. have fallen in recent years.

Child vaccination rates, already down because of COVID, fall again

Child vaccination rates dipped into dangerous territory during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were shuttered, and most doctors were only seeing emergency patients.But instead … more

By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org (TNS) | 1/25/23

A pharmacist prepares to administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on September 09, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.

First real-world data show omicron booster kept seniors out of hospitals

In the first real-world test of vaccine boosters specially designed to protect against the omicron variant, Israeli researchers have found that people 65 and over who got an updated jab were 81% less … more

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/24/23

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