Jan 01 New York rings in 2024 with a pay bump for minimum-wage workers By Associated Press In the first of a series of annual increases slated for the Empire State, the minimum wage increased to $16 in New York City and some of its suburbs, up from $15. Continue reading
Dec 28 U.S. sanctions money network tied to the Yemen Houthi rebels blamed for shipping vessel attacks By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press The Houthis have sporadically targeted ships in the region previously, but the attacks have increased since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, spiking after an Oct. 17 explosion at a hospital in Gaza killed and injured many. Continue reading
Dec 27 As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections By Ali Swenson, Christine Fernando, Associated Press The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger. Continue reading
Dec 27 Social media companies made $11 billion in U.S. ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds By Barbara Ortutay, Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. Continue reading
Dec 27 The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its stories to train chatbots By Associated Press The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, trying to end the practice of using its stories to train chatbots. Continue reading
Dec 26 Watch 7:09 How planning for long-term care is burdening middle-class Americans By William Brangham, Karina Cuevas Long-term care is already a huge problem in the United States, one that's growing as the baby boom population ages, and one with big financial costs. William Brangham explores the impact this is having on middle-class Americans and how they… Continue watching
Dec 26 Holiday sales rose in U.S. during despite some financial anxiety and higher costs By Anne D'Innocenzio, Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press Mastercard SpendingPulse said Tuesday that holiday sales rose this year. The indicator, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards, found sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.1%, a slower pace than the… Continue reading
Dec 25 Forget to spend an old gift card? Here’s what happens to that money By Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press In a July survey, Bankrate found that 47% of U.S. adults had at least one unused gift card worth an average of $187. That's a total of $23 billion in unspent money. Continue reading
Dec 24 Watch 5:53 The business of Christmas music and why some songs become classics By John Yang, Claire Mufson Christmas music is a big part of the music industry. John Yang speaks with Nate Sloan, an assistant professor of musicology at the USC Thornton School of Music and co-host of the podcast Switched On Pop, about what makes Christmas… Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch 7:21 As communities test basic income programs, here’s how one California city fared By John Yang, Kaisha Young, Lana Green Guaranteed basic income, the concept of no-strings-attached payments to provide people with a financial floor, is being tested in dozens of pilot programs across the country. Stockton, California was one of the first cities to launch a pilot program in… Continue watching