Now summer's over, here's what to do with all those photos on your camera roll
LONDON (AP) — The end of summer means many of us have a phone full of vacation photos. While some highlights make it to social media, many pictures get forgotten. With smartphones offering large storage, it’s easy to take too many photos and hard to sort them later. To manage this, start by picking favorites and starring them. Delete unnecessary images like duplicates or receipts. Photo cleanup apps can help speed up this process. Organize photos into albums by theme or trip. Consider printing your best shots for a physical album or wall art. Services like Google and Shutterfly offer photobook options.
With Hyundai raid, Trump's immigration crackdown runs into his push for foreign investment
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost U.S. manufacturing by attracting foreign investment are clashing with his immigration crackdown. Immigration authorities recently raided a Hyundai plant in Georgia, detaining over 300 South Korean workers. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has warned that this could deter future investments from his country. He expressed concerns about the U.S. not issuing visas for temporary workers needed to set up new plants. Trump has promised to make it easier for foreign investors to bring skilled workers legally. Raids and other restrictions could risk alienating allies that are pledging to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. to avoid high tariffs.
Wall Street rallies as a cut to interest rates next week looks more certain
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street rolled to more records after mixed data on the economy cemented expectations for coming cuts to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% Thursday and set an all-time high for a third straight day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1.4%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%. Treasury yields eased in the bond market following the reports on joblessness and inflation, as traders bet the Federal Reserve will have to cut interest rates for the first time this year at its meeting next week. European stocks rose after the European Central Bank held its main interest rate steady.
Rising inflation and a deteriorating job market puts the Fed and Americans in a difficult spot
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation rose last month as the price of gas, groceries, and airfares jumped, while a measure of layoffs also increased, putting the Federal Reserve in a tough spot as it prepares to cut rates at its meeting next week despite persistent price pressures. The reading is the last the Fed will receive before its Sept. 16-17 meeting, when policymakers are widely expected to cut their short-term rate to about 4.1% from 4.3%. Still, the new inflation data underscores the challenges the Fed is facing. Inflation remains stubborn while the job market is weakening, diverging trends that would require polar reactions from Federal Reserve policymakers to address.
Trump takes one step back and another forward in his attempt to reshape the Fed
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s goal of appointing a majority of the Federal Reserve’s board of governors faced a setback Tuesday when a court blocked his unprecedented attempt to fire Lisa Cook. But the very next next day, his nominee to replace another Fed governor moved forward, giving him one more opportunity during his second term to reshape the Fed. Over time, Trump will almost certainly get the lower short-term interest rate he is seeking, economists say, although it’s unlikely he’ll be able to shave 3 percentage points from its current level of about 4.3%, as he has demanded, even if he gets most of the seats on the seven-member board.
Trump administration requests emergency ruling to remove Cook from Fed board
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits last week hits 263,000, most in nearly 4 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — In another grim sign for the U.S. labor market, jobless claim applications jumped to their highest level in almost four years last week, virtually assuring the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate next week. Filings for unemployment benefits for the week ending Sept. 6 rose by 27,000 to 263,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since October of 2021. Most analysts were already forecasting an interest rate cut next week after Fed Chair Jerome Powell recently signaled as much. However, another report Thursday showing that consumer inflation remains elevated could complicate the Fed’s task of managing inflation while supporting a healthy labor market.
European Central Bank leaves rates unchanged as economy weathers Trump's tariffs
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank is leaving interest rates unchanged with inflation back under control and the economy iTrump’s tariff onslaught better than expected. The bank’s rate-setting council left its deposit rate unchanged at 2% at a meeting at its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt on Thursday. Bank President Christine Lagarde said that monetary policy was “in a good place” and said future rate decisions would be taken “meeting by meeting.”
FTC launces inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions and their effects on children
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions. The FTC said Thursday it has sent letters to Google parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., Character Technologies Inc., OpenAI and xAI. The FTC said it wants to understand what steps, if any, companies have taken to evaluate the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions and to limit the products’ use by and potential negative effects on children and teens.
Court rules Europe can call nuclear and natural gas sustainable investments for its green transition
A European Union court has ruled that nuclear energy and natural gas can be considered environmentally sustainable investments. This decision, made Wednesday, could direct significant financing toward projects not typically seen as "green." Austria had challenged the EU's classification system, which guides investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The court sided with the European Commission, dismissing Austria's lawsuit. Nuclear power, while carbon-free, involves uranium mining and radioactive waste risks. Natural gas emits less carbon than coal but still contributes to global warming. The Austrian official who brought the case criticized the ruling, arguing it promotes "greenwashing" of harmful technologies.
