WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits came back down last week, hovering near levels suggesting the U.S. labor market has been largely unaffected by the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes. Applications for jobless aid fell to 225,000 for the week ending Nov. 26, a decline of 16,000 from the previous week's 241,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the Federal Reserve will push rates higher than previously expected and keep them there longer to fight a stubborn bout of inflation. In written remarks to be delivered to the Brookings Institution on Wednesday, Powell also signaled that the Fed may increase its key interest rate by a smaller increment at its December meeting, only a half-point after four straight three-quarter point hikes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving urgently to head off the looming U.S. rail strike. The House passed a bill Wednesday that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement reached in September that failed to gain the support of all 12 unions involved. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. It would impose a compromise labor agreement brokered by President Joe Biden's administration. That agreement was ultimately voted down by four of the 12 unions representing more than 100,000 employees at large freight rail carriers.

U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in November amid ongoing high inflation, rising interest rates, and layoff announcements by several large tech companies. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 100.2 this month, down from 102.2 in October.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Business groups are increasing the pressure on lawmakers to intervene and block a railroad strike before next month's deadline in the stalled contract talks. A coalition of more than 400 business groups sent a letter to Congressional leaders Monday urging them to step in because of fears about the devastating potential impact of a strike that could force many businesses to shut down. Congressional leaders and the White House have said they are monitoring the talks closely.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — The Walmart supervisor who shot and killed six co-workers in Virginia left behind what he called a “death note” on his phone that apologized for what he was about to do while simultaneously blaming others for mocking him.

The mass shooting Wednesday at a Walmart in Virginia is only the latest example of a workplace shooting perpetrated by an employee. Many companies have active shooting training. But experts say there …

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level since August but still remains low by historic standards.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press has fired a reporter and is reviewing its standards on use of anonymous sourcing following an “egregious” error in a story about a fatal missile strike that killed two people in Poland.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt next month. One of the biggest rail unions rejected its deal Monday, joining three others that have failed to approve contracts over concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. That raises the risk of a strike, which could start as soon as Dec. 5.

Twitter is continuing to bleed engineers and other workers after its new owner Elon Musk gave them a choice: either pledge to “hardcore” work or resign with severance pay. Hundreds of employees signaled they were leaving ahead of a Thursday deadline set by Musk, posting a salute emoji or other symbols familiar to Twitter workers on the company’s internal Slack messaging board.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has used his first face-to-face meetings with America’s Asia-Pacific allies since 2020 to forge diplomatic inroads as Washington pushes back against Beijing's influence …

NEW YORK (AP) — The mass layoffs that began in Amazon's corporate ranks this week will extend into next year, CEO Andy Jassy said Thursday. In a note sent to employees, Jassy said the company told workers in its devices and books divisions about layoffs on Wednesday. He said it also offered some other employees a voluntary buyout offer.

Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are going on strike Thursday. It's the largest labor action since a campaign to unionize Starbucks stores began late last year. The walkouts are scheduled to coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink.

Elon Musk has emailed Twitter employees ordering them to return to the office for at least 40 hours a week and warning of “difficult times ahead.” A pair of Wednesday night missives seen by The Associated Press marked Musk’s first companywide message to employees who survived last week’s mass layoffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Price increases moderated in the United States last month in the latest sign that the economy is slowing and consumers growing more cautious. Consumer inflation reached 7.7% in October from a year earlier and 0.4% from September, the Labor Department said Thursday. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, “core” inflation rose 6.3% in the past 12 months and 0.3% from September.

Facebook parent Meta is laying off 13% of its employees as it contends with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes. The move that comes just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk. Meta, like other social media companies, enjoyed a financial boost during the pandemic lockdown era because more people stayed home and scrolled on their phones and computers.

Twitter has begun adding gray “official” labels to some high-profile accounts to indicate that they are authentic, the latest twist in new owner Elon Musk’s chaotic overhaul of the platform’s verification system. Media sites like The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal received an official designation Wednesday, as did companies like Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola.

Twitter's new owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold nearly $4 billion worth of Tesla shares, according to regulatory filings. Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion, sold 19.5 million shares of the electric car company from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8, according to Tuesday's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

BEIJING (AP) — Apple Inc. is warning customers they'll have to wait longer to get its latest iPhone models after anti-virus restrictions were imposed on a contractor’s factory in central China. The company gave no details but said the factory operated by Foxconn in the central city of Zhengzhou is “operating at significantly reduced capacity.” Apple said it expects lower shipments of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models than previously anticipated. It said customers "will experience longer wait times.”

BOSTON (AP) — Elon Musk says Twitter will permanently suspend any account that impersonates another. The social media platform’s new owner issued the warning Sunday after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names — not their account names — to ‘Elon Musk’ in reaction to the billionaire’s decision to offer verified accounts to all comers for $8 month. Comedian Kathy Griffin had her account suspended on Sunday for switching her display name to Musk's.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Home Depot workers in Philadelphia voted against forming the first store-wide labor union at the world’s largest home improvement retailer Saturday night, a loss for a fledgling movement to organize at major U.S. companies. The National Labor Relations Board says workers voted 165 to 51 to reject forming a union to represent 274 employees at the store.

NEW YORK (AP) — Employees are bracing for widespread layoffs at Twitter as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the social platform. In a letter to employees obtained by multiple media outlets, the company said employees would find out by 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time if they had been laid off. The email did not say how many people would lose their jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The unemployment rate rose to 3.7% in October, up from expectations it would hold steady at 3.5%, as the number of jobless Americans rose to 6.1 million. The October jobs figures were the last major economic report before Election Day, with voters keenly focused on the state of the economy and on their own financial lives.

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis and the U.S. government are warning owners of 276,000 older vehicles to stop driving them after Takata air bags apparently exploded in three more vehicles, killing the drivers. The company, formerly Fiat Chrysler, is telling people to stop driving Dodge Magnum wagons, Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars and Chrysler 300 sedans from the 2005 through 2010 model years. Stellantis says that it confirmed the air bag inflators blew apart in two cases, killing two people.