AP National Business

By ALAN FRAM and HOPE YEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin says he can’t back his party’s signature $2 trillion social and environment bill. That would deal a seemingly fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative heading into an election year when Democrats’ narrow hold on Congress was already in

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline dropped by 6 cents over the past two weeks to $3.41 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that prices have been falling for a month due to lower crude oil costs. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade

By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Christmas is in full swing in Finnish Lapland, where venue operators happily report that visitors have returned in numbers approaching pre-pandemic levels. Tourists from elsewhere in Finland and abroad come to revel in the festive spirit at the sprawling Santa Claus Village theme park, take a

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Never underestimate your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, even with a mutating virus afoot. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only shattered pandemic-era box office records; it became the third best opening of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Studio estimates on

MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in Russia have evacuated 128 coal miners from a coal mine in Siberia amid reports of a fire in one of the mine’s sections. The evacuations Sunday come weeks after a devastating blast in another coal mine in the same region killed 51 people. Emergency officials told Russia’s Interfax news agency

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Never underestimate your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, even with a mutating virus afoot. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only shattered pandemic-era box office records; it became the third best opening of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Studio estimates on

MOSCOW (AP) — About 140 miners are being evacuated from a coal mine in the Russian region of Siberia amid reports of a fire in one of the mine’s sections. The evacuations Sunday come weeks after a devastating blast in another coal mine in the same region killed 51 people. Emergency officials told Russia’s Interfax

By GRANT SCHULTE Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has held one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates for years, with fewer than two million people and plenty of jobs to go around. That rate has hit new lows thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, with the state announcing the lowest-ever recorded unemployment of 1.8%

By HOPE YEN and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he can’t back a $2 trillion social safety net bill, and his opposition seemingly deals a fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s signature legislation. Manchin tells “Fox News Sunday” that he’s always made clear he had reservations about the

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, MAE ANDERSON and SYLVIA HUI Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — While restaurants in the U.S. and United Kingdom are open without restrictions and often bustling, they are entering their second winter of the coronavirus pandemic anxious about what’s ahead. They’re squeezed by labor shortages and skyrocketing food costs and the omicron variant

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — A fire has ripped through a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network, causing extensive damage to the facility. The News & Observer reports that more than 300 employees were working at the facility near Rocky Mount when the fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m.

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The Salvation Army says Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico are donating gifts and money after somebody stole a van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys to be distributed to over 350 children. The marked van was stolen Tuesday from outside a store. Lt. Christopher Rockwell said the community’s response was

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — A fire has ripped through a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network, causing extensive damage to the facility. The News & Observer reports that more than 300 employees were working at the facility near Rocky Mount when the fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A former CEO has been charged with embezzling more than $15 million from her employer and using stolen money to pay for a lavish lifestyle, including travel, jewelry and family weddings. A court filing on Friday also accuses Donna Osowitt Steele, of Taylorsville, North Carolina, of using stolen money to fund

By DANICA KIRKA and MIKE CORDER Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Nations across Europe are moving to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant. The Dutch government has gone the farthest, imposing a new nationwide lockdown starting Sunday. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration says it will not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10. This will give companies time to adjust to and implement the requirements. The federal agency separately says there will be no citations of companies regarding its testing requirements before Feb. 9. Saturday’s announcement came