AP VoteCast: Economy ranked as a top issue, but concerns over democracy drove many voters to polls
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Voters said the economy and immigration are the top issues facing the country, but the future of democracy was also a leading motivator for many Americans casting a ballot in Tuesday's presidential election. AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide, found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change as Americans faced a stark choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump sought to define the election as a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration and blamed it for inflation and illegal crossings at the Southern border. Harris tried to brand herself as being more focused on the future and described Trump as old, tired and a threat to the Constitution.
Boeing's machinists strike is over but the troubled aerospace giant still faces many challenges
SEATTLE (AP) -- Factory workers at Boeing have voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks. That clears the way for the company to restart idled Pacific Northwest assembly lines. But the strike was just one of many challenges the troubled U.S. aerospace giant faces as it works to return to profitability and regain public confidence. The strike started in mid-September and deprived the company of much-needed cash by shutting down production at its factories in the Pacific Northwest. The union says the machinists it represents can return to work as soon as Wednesday.
Strike at Boeing was part of a new era of labor activism long in decline at US work places
Aircraft assembly workers at Boeing factories near Seattle and elsewhere ended a seven-week strike overnight. Over the last few years, organized labor drew a line in the sand, demanding more pay and better benefits during negotiations. Union leaders demanded that U.S. companies make good after what they viewed as sacrifices made by workers during turbulent, industry specific economic times, and also during the COVID-19 pandemic. From Detroit automakers to Las Vegas casinos, here's a look at some recent company negotiations with their unions and how it played out.
Stock market today: Wall Street rallies on Election Day as economy remains solid
U.S. stocks rallied as voters headed to the polls on the last day of the presidential election and as more data piled up to show the economy remains solid. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% Tuesday and moved closer to its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.4%. The market's main event was the election, even if the result may not be known for days or weeks as officials count all the votes. Such uncertainty could upset markets, along with an upcoming meeting by the Federal Reserve on interest rates later this week.
You may have blocked someone on X but now they can see your public posts anyway
Elon Musk's X has been modified so that accounts you've blocked on the social media platform can still see your public posts. X updated its Help Center page over the weekend to explain how blocking now works on the site. While you can still block accounts, those accounts will now be able to see your posts unless you have made your account private. They won't be able to reply to them or repost them. Blocked accounts also won't be able to follow you and you won't be able to follow them, as has been the case before the policy change.
Bernie Marcus, The Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bernard "Bernie" Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson. Marcus was Home Depot's CEO as it grew rapidly during its first two decades, and was chairman of the board until his retirement in 2002. Home Depot is now the world's largest home improvement chain. In recent years, he became an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, donating nearly $5 million to the Republican Party between 2016 and 2020.
China files complaint at World Trade Organization over EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
GENEVA (AP) -- China has moved forward with a complaint at the World Trade Organization that alleges the European Union has improperly set anti-subsidy tariffs on new Chinese-made electric vehicles. The Chinese diplomatic mission to the WTO said Monday it "strongly opposes" the measures. It insisted its move was designed to protect the EV industry and support a global transition toward greener technologies. The European bloc announced last week it was imposing import duties of up to 35% on electric vehicles from China.
South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's privacy watchdog has fined Meta 21.6 billion won for illegally collecting Facebook users' sensitive personal information, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers for targeted advertisements. It was the latest in a series of penalties against Meta by South Korean authorities in recent years as they increase their scrutiny of how the company handles private information. South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission concluded that Meta unlawfully collected sensitive information of around 980,000 Facebook users, including their religion, political views and whether they were in same-sex unions, and shared the data with 4,000 advertisers.
Saudi oil giant Aramco posts third-quarter profits of $27.5 billion, down 15% from a year earlier
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco has reported third-quarter profits of $27.5 billion, down about 15% from last year as low oil prices ate into its revenues. Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., had revenues of $111.1 billion over the quarter. That's according to a company filing Tuesday on Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange. It made $113 billion the same quarter last year. Profit for the first nine months of 2024 was $83.9 billion, down from $94.5 billion the year before. Oil prices have been depressed in recent days as tensions in the Middle East appear to have receded slightly and as China's economy has slowed. Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday at around $75 a barrel.
A courtroom of relief: FBI recovers funds for victims of scammed banker
WICHITA, KANSAS (AP) -- Cheers and sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned federal law enforcement had recovered their money. Seventy-year-old Bart Camilli said he couldn't describe the weight lifted from his shoulders when he learned he'd be getting back nearly $450,000 in lifelong savings. In August, former Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years for embezzling $47 million from customer accounts -- money prosecutors say was sent to scammers. The victims learned they would get their money back at a restitution hearing Monday.