AP National Business

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police are treating a fire at the home of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors chair and a prominent labor leader as suspicious. Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said he escaped unharmed with his family and his house was saved. He and his wife, labor leader and former state lawmaker Lorena Gonzalez,

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Lael Brainard, President Joe Biden’s nominee for the Federal Reserve’s No. 2 spot, said Thursday that combating high inflation is the Fed’s top priority and promised the Fed could bring it down without sacrificing job growth. Brainard’s elevation of inflation-fighting as the Fed’s top goal is

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Two brand-new COVID-19 pills that were supposed to be an important weapon against the pandemic in the U.S. are in short supply and have played little role in the fight against the omicron wave of infections. The problem is that production is not yet at full

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks wobbled between small gains and losses in morning trading Thursday on Wall Street as investors gauged the latest data on inflation and company earnings. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. Industrial companies made solid gains and

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates jumped again this past week, reaching their highest level since March 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was breaking in the U.S. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose

By TRISHA THOMAS and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Italy has paid tribute to the 32 victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck on the 10th anniversary of the disaster.  A daylong commemoration on the Tuscan island of Giglio is recalling the horror of the night the ship slammed into a reef and

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level surged by a record 9.7% for all of 2021, setting an annual record and providing further evidence that inflation is still present at all levels of the U.S. economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index, which measures

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The shakiness hitting Wall Street isn’t just because the Federal Reserve’s money printer that’s supporting markets is slowing, but that it may soon go into reverse. With inflation high and the economy strengthening, the Fed has warned investors the ultra-easy conditions it’s created for them

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has rejected the merger between South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai and Daewoo. Officials said Thursday that a union between two of the world’s biggest players in the industry would have given the merged company a global stranglehold on the production of liquified natural gas carriers.

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer Delta Air Lines is reporting a $408 million loss for the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December. It expects to suffer one more quarterly loss before travel picks up in the spring and summer. CEO Ed Bastian said Thursday

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices at the wholesale level surged by a record 9.7% for all of 2021, setting an annual record and providing further evidence that inflation is still present at all levels of the U.S. economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index, which measures

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since mid-November. U.S. jobless claims climbed by 23,000 last week to 230,000, still low by historic standards. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week blips, was up nearly 6,300 to

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British officials say the self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 will be reduced from next week to five full days, instead of seven. Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said Thursday that early signs suggest the rate of hospitalization from the coronavirus is

MADRID (AP) — Spain is introducing price controls for COVID-19 home testing kits after an outcry over reports of price-gouging during the Christmas holidays, when demand for the rapid antigen tests outpaced supply. Authorities announced Thursday that the maximum price for the kits on sale at pharmacies from Saturday will be 2.94 euros ($3.37). Health

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer Delta Air Lines is reporting a $408 million loss for the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December, and the carrier expects to suffer one more quarterly loss before travel picks up in the spring and summer. CEO Ed Bastian

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Top negotiators from Britain and the European Union are meeting in hopes of resolving their a thorny dispute over Northern Ireland trade. U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic are holding talks at Chevening House, the foreign secretary’s official country retreat. Sefcovic

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has blocked the merger between South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai and Daewoo. Officials said Thursday that a union between two of the world’s biggest players in the industry would have given the merged company a global stranglehold on the production of liquified natural gas carriers.

BEIRUT (AP) — A general strike by public transportation and labor unions has paralyzed Lebanon as the nation suffers through one of the world’s worst economic crises. Thursday’s protests come as the country’s ruling class has done almost nothing to pull Lebanon out of its meltdown, which is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement.