CNN – Business/Consumer

By Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN (CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are being furloughed or working without pay during the ongoing government shutdown. Core functions, including many food and drug inspections, are suspended because Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked on funding the government. Meanwhile, the government continues to rake in record levels of

CNN By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — In an unprecedented win for a theatrical release announced just two weeks ago, the album debut event from American pop superstar Taylor Swift topped the domestic box office with about $33 million domestically. “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” released in theaters for a three-day

By Brian Stelter, CNN (CNN) — Portraying Univision as a crucial political tool for Republicans, President Donald Trump is publicly pressing Google to restore access to Univision on the YouTube TV streaming platform. YouTube TV dropped Univision’s channels almost a week ago when the two companies could not reach an agreement about a new carriage

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — In an unprecedented win for a theatrical release announced just two weeks ago, the album debut event from American pop superstar Taylor Swift topped the domestic box office with about $33 million domestically. “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” released in theaters for a three-day run

By Alayna Treene, Bryan Mena, CNN Washington (CNN) — American farmers are having a tough year, in no small part because of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Now, the White House is gearing up to extend them a multi-billion-dollar bailout, sources tell CNN. Surging costs and foreign retaliation from tariffs have hurt the US agriculture

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — After another bittersweet end to the summer box office season, American multiplexes are going to “shake it off.” The AMC-distributed “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” opened Friday as part of a three-day run in 3,700 theaters to coincide with Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — Rite Aid, once one of America’s biggest pharmacy chains, shuttered its remaining 89 stores this week after filing for bankruptcy in May for the second time in less than two years. “All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support,”

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — Olive Garden, which has traditionally seen success from its annual unlimited pasta promotion, recently noticed the opposite trend: Some customers actually wanted less food. Last quarter, the restaurant chain tested a new menu section at a little less than half of its locations: smaller portions, along with

By Kit Maher, CNN (CNN) — A portrait of President Donald Trump may be featured on a commemorative $1 coin issued by the United States Mint in honor of America’s 250th birthday in 2026, according to first drafts of the images confirmed by the US Treasury. “No fake news here,” US Treasurer Brandon Beach post

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa, CNN (CNN) — A new report has found that TikTok has directed young users toward sexually explicit content through its suggested search terms, according to an investigation by UK not-for-profit watchdog Global Witness, as tech companies face mounting pressure to crack down on age verification. As part of the investigation

By John Towfighi, CNN New York (CNN) — Stocks ended the day mixed on Friday as investors continue to brush off concerns about the government shutdown. The Dow closed higher by 239 points, or 0.51%, after rising as much as 530 points earlier. The S&P 500 was relatively flat and closed higher by just 0.01%.

By Clare Duffy, CNN New York (CNN) — Following a request from the US Department of Justice, Apple has removed ICEBlock and similar apps that allow people to alert others nearby about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area. President Donald Trump and his administration have railed against the apps for months,

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — Cracker Barrel has cut ties with the design firm that created its controversial new logo and redesigned restaurants. The restaurant chain started implementing the changes but quickly reversed course following online backlash – including from President Donald Trump. The company confirmed the split late Thursday in a

By Alicia Wallace, CNN (CNN) — On this particular Friday, at 8:30 a.m. ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was supposed to release the September jobs report. Instead, the agency behind the market-moving release — data that has starkly become even more important, given economic uncertainty — is almost entirely dark due to the federal

By Samantha Delouya, CNN (CNN) — Slower mortgage approvals, stalled rural home loans and a freeze on new flood insurance policies: The government shutdown, which began at midnight on October 1, could gum up some of the gears that keep the US housing market running. It is unclear how long the shutdown will remain in

By Natasha Chen, CNN Santa Cruz, CA (CNN) — Chris Zephro’s warehouse full of latex masks, “Saw” movie props, and zombie apocalypse games is a testament to his love of horror. “Horror is not necessarily Halloween. It’s really a lifestyle,” Zephro said. But the fake blood inside his Santa Cruz, California, warehouse pales in comparison

By Liam Reilly, CNN (CNN) — A comedy festival in Saudi Arabia featuring high-profile American performers is drawing intense criticism from human rights advocates who say the star-studded event helps gloss over the kingdom’s ongoing human rights abuses. The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which kicked off on September 26, has styled itself as “the world’s largest

By Matt Egan, CNN (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on the Trump administration to release the September jobs report on Friday despite the ongoing government shutdown, a Senate aide told CNN on Thursday. The monthly jobs report, compiled and published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is arguably the most critical piece

By Chris Isidore, CNN (CNN) — Tesla sales surged to a record in the third quarter as American buyers rushed to buy its cars before a $7,500 federal tax credit expired on September 30. The company sold a record 497,099 vehicles worldwide from July through September, a tally just ahead of the company record set

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — Berkshire Hathaway, the Warren Buffett-owned conglomerate, has announced its biggest deal in three years with the planned acquisition of OxyChem for $9.7 billion. This will be Buffett’s biggest deal since he paid $11.6 billion for Alleghany, an insurance company, in 2022. Buffett, 95, recently announced he was

By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN (CNN) — A new rule is going into effect next year that will affect high earners who make “catch-up contributions” in their 401(k)s or other tax-deferred workplace retirement plans. The rule, which was created under the Secure 2.0 retirement law, will essentially eliminate the immediate tax break for catch-up contributions that

By John Liu, Wayne Chang, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Taiwan imported $1.3 billion worth of the petroleum product naphtha from Russia in the first half of this year, more than from any other country, according to a new report. The purchases come despite Taiwan’s opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, backed by some sanctions

By Clare Duffy, CNN New York (CNN) — Meta will soon use what people tell its artificial intelligence chatbot to get even better at selling them things. The company said on Wednesday that users’ chats and interactions with Meta AI will soon be used to target them with even more personalized ads. Users will start

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa, CNN London (CNN) — ChatGPT is not yet causing the massive upheaval in the US labor market that many have feared since the chatbot’s launch in 2022, according to a new study by a research center at Yale University. The study comes amid widespread concerns that the proliferation of generative

By David Goldman, CNN (CNN) — When ABC executives told Jimmy Kimmel last month that his show was being pulled off the air, the late-night show’s audience was seated, a guest chef had already started making food, the musical guest had performed a warm-up act, and Kimmel was in the bathroom. “It was about 3:00;

By Alicia Wallace, CNN (CNN) — Private payrolls plunged in September, complicating the picture for the US economy as policymakers and investors struggle to assess the state of the labor market amid a government shutdown. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is unlikely to release the monthly jobs report this Friday due to the closure. That

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — Peloton is unveiling a sweeping revamp of its portfolio with a focus on artificial intelligence as the once-hot fitness company looks to kickstart growth. On Wednesday, the company is releasing five products, including a cheaper base model and more expensive “plus” versions of its bike and treadmill

By John Towfighi, CNN New York (CNN) — Stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday as the US government officially entered a shutdown and Wall Street grappled with the uncertain implications for the economy. The Dow rose 43 points, or 0.09%. The broader S&P 500 rose 0.34% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.42%. The S&P

By John Liu, CNN (CNN) — Taiwan has vowed to resist pressure from Washington to shift half of its chip production capacity to the United States, throwing down the gauntlet to the Trump administration. Washington has grown increasingly concerned about its heavy dependence on Taiwan, where chip giant TSMC supplies the vast majority of the