Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her department is likely to begin taking special accounting maneuvers sometime in mid-January to avoid breaching the U.S. debt limit, and urged lawmakers to take action defending the “full faith and credit” of the U.S.

“On Jan. 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — After renovations forced Monique Gomez to move out of her Westside apartment, the tenant of four years was surprised to learn she would have to find another company to sell her renters coverage.

Her insurer, State Farm General, stopped writing new property policies last year, and she was told that even though she was an existing...Read more

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s new legislative leaders were sworn in last month, and addressing the insurance crisis seems to be at the top of their minds. “I want to make sure that impacted Floridians and insurance companies hear me loudly and clearly — we are watching,” Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, told senators last month.

...Read more

CHICAGO — Historic preservationists thought their demands had been answered this summer when the federal government appeared to green-light the rehab of the two century-old office towers it’s owned on State Street for nearly two decades. But security restrictions governing how the buildings are used going forward have raised questions about ...Read more

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations.

The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out.

The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa ...Read more

Tony Grey needed new wheels, but he didn’t want to buy a new car. It took the retired San Jose computer designer three weeks to locate a used SUV in good condition at the right price, at a Santa Clara, California, car lot.

At $28,800, the 2023 white Nissan Pathfinder with 40,000 miles was the best deal Grey found — and slightly below the ...Read more

Gizmos, whirligigs, whatsits. Engineers solve problems with new gadgets, and automobiles are rolling toy chests.

Cars, trucks and SUVs have long played a game of one-upmanship with multi-cylinder engines and multifunction seats. Now, in the electronics age, they also impress with big screens and apps. Here are my favorite features of the past ...Read more

When the idea of price transparency first took hold outside purely academic circles, the pitch was simple: Coloradans would save themselves and the system money by shopping for health care the way they do for TVs or cars.

But shopping for health care has proven more difficult than buying consumer goods. A poll released in August found about 69%...Read more

Toyota has been making great strides in the truck segment of the market, and one of its best moves was refreshing the popular Tacoma. Recently, we tested the 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road in attractive Blue Crush Metallic, which seems more purple in the sunlight, riding on 17-inch machined wheels.

Powered by a 2.4-liter iFORCE turbocharged engine, ...Read more

It’s been two-and-a-half years since I first drove the Subaru Solterra electric crossover at its press preview in California. It was quiet on the streets of Santa Barbara and peppy on freeways, and it proved its off-road chops on Catalina. It was short on range, long on recharge times and a bit pricey but charming. It’s appreciably better ...Read more

It’s no secret that Americans live large. Anyone who’s been to Buc-ee's, the world’s largest convenience store, can attest to that. If you have, you won’t be surprised that we are also the fattest population in the world among high-income countries. So, is it any wonder that we love such full-size SUV stalwarts as the Chevrolet Tahoe, ...Read more

A newly released study underscores the competitiveness — and perhaps the frustration — faced by renters across South Florida this year: It concludes the region is the hottest rental market in the country.

The study, conducted by RentCafe, is billed as a year-end report, recapping a year in which we saw somewhat plateauing rental prices, ...Read more

For many people, retirement is a major goal and represents a life milestone. Unfortunately, 35% of American workers feel significantly behind when it comes to their retirement savings, according to Bankrate’s 2024 Retirement Savings Survey.

The good news is it’s never too late to open a retirement account — or to boost your savings if ...Read more

The "silly season" of news coverage used to refer to the dog days of summer, when there was so little of importance happening that newspapers and cable channels filled the vacuum with fluff.

Not this year.

Starting in October and gaining intensity through the season, Americans have found themselves awash in panicky health and safety warnings ...Read more

The ride-hailing company Lyft accused San Francisco of overcharging it $100 million in taxes over the last five years in a lawsuit filed last week.

Lyft, which is headquartered in the city, said in the complaint that the fees paid by riders to drivers are not part of the company's revenue and should not be taxed. The company considers its ...Read more

This fall, Risabh Kumar spent hours scanning home listings and touring open houses. He and his wife hoped there would be fewer homebuyers searching this time of year, especially with interest rates climbing back up again, but that hasn’t been the case.

“We’re trying to find a sweet spot and felt that, because interest rates are high, we ...Read more

Universal Orlando has suspended the use of drones during “Universal CineSational,” its end-of-night show at Universal Studios theme park. The change comes on the heels of the Dec. 21 incident in which a 7-year-old boy was critically injured by a falling drone that was part of a show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.

“We have ...Read more

BOSTON — What would be the cost of trying to save whales from ship strikes?

Nearly $300 million and 1,500 jobs for the island of Nantucket, according to a new UMass report.

The proposed NOAA vessel speed restrictions would be devastating for Nantucket’s economy and would eliminate all fast-ferry services, the UMass Donahue Institute’s ...Read more