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The final pre-election edition of the closely watched monthly jobs report is set to be published Nov. 1, four days ahead of Election Day. All eyes are now on a handful of states expected to see razor-thin vote margins, likely to be determined by a small but crucial pool of persuadable voters. The exact impact on the jobs report is unclear. The strike, which kicked off in September, has coincided with layoff notices sent to 17,000 workers in Boeing's commercial aviation division. While the Keystone State's unemployment rate climbed by a tenth of a percentage point compared with the September 2023 figure, its latest reading, at 3.4%, marked two straight years below 4%.

Persons: Milton —, Boeing machinists, Goldman Sachs, “, Goldman, Helene, Trump Organizations: Boeing, of Labor Statistics, Nomura Holdings, Nomura, BLS, Electoral College, Keystone, Democratic, Republican Locations: U.S, Milton, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

The president of McDonald’s USA said Wednesday that the company can "restore confidence" as it seeks to minimize the damage from an E. coli outbreak linked to the chain’s Quarter Pounders in multiple states. We took swift action yesterday to remove the Quarter Pounder from our menu. This was swift and decisive action by us,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald's USA, said on NBC's “TODAY” show. Customer Aaron Chapa, 22, said he eats at the restaurant a few times a week and consumed a Quarter Pounder over the weekend but never got sick. “I knew it was only the Quarter Pounder that was affected,” said Chapa, who was satisfying his hunger Wednesday with a cheeseburger.

Persons: ” Joe Erlinger, Erlinger, we’ve, It’s, Mike Railey, “ I’ll, ”, Railey, hadn’t, it’s, Aaron Chapa, “, Chapa, “ I’m, Yash Reddy, didn’t, McDonald’s, McDonald's Organizations: McDonald’s USA, McDonald's, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Nebraska, Guggenheim Partners Locations: McDonald’s, McDonald's USA, Colorado, Denver, Iowa , Kansas , Missouri, Montana , Oregon , Utah , Wisconsin, Wyoming

But a group of e-cigarette users are suddenly finding themselves with a little extra cash, thanks to a massive class action settlement involving one of America's tobacco giants. In online forums and on social media this week, users of Juul Labs nicotine products have been posting screenshots of online deposits for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars that they now have access to. Juul agreed to a settlement in 2022, but the Altria settlement, which was needed to kickstart payouts, was not approved until earlier this year. And it was only this month that claims for the approximately 842,000 eligible Juul customers began to be verified. Vaping remains mired in controversy in the U.S., as e-cigarette companies and federal regulators continue to haggle over the products’ health effects and marketing guardrails.

Persons: Juul, Altria, Vaping Organizations: Food and Drug Administration Locations: Juul, U.S

Target is lowering prices on more than 2,000 items across an array of categories in a bid to offer more discounts to cash-strapped customers as the holiday season approaches. Both Target and Walmart have also sought to lean in to more store-brand offerings as a means of offering discounts. The most recent official retail sales data showed ongoing strength in consumer spending, while the pace of 12-month inflation continues to approach the Federal Reserve's official 2% target. However, research from a new Federal Reserve paper suggests lower-income households continue to struggle financially, something reflected in a lower pace of retail sales growth for that cohort. Target recently announced it was hiring 100,000 seasonal workers for the holidays — in line with the previous three years.

Persons: Rick Gomez, Bliss, Cream Creamer Organizations: ” Target, Purina, Target, Walmart, Aldi, Federal Reserve's, Federal

A mid-October poll by The Associated Press measured which of the two candidates voters trust on a variety of economic issues. Harris’ campaign declined to say where she wants to set the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour. Former President Donald Trump answers questions as he works the drive-thru line at a McDonald's on Oct. 20 in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa. “Donald Trump is running on a middle-class tax hike, Kamala Harris is running on a middle-class tax cut,” Harris campaign spokesperson James Singer said. “Working families like rank-and-file Teamsters overwhelmingly support President Trump because only he will Make America Wealthy, Strong, and Great Again.”

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Kamala Harris, Harris, Trump, ”, Kent Smetters, Sen, Chris Caldwell, Harris ’, Smetters, —, hasn’t, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Win McNamee, “ Donald Trump, ” Harris, James Singer, “, Anna Kelly Organizations: Biden, Tufts University, Trump, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Daily, Wharton, Democratic, The Associated Press, Voters, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic, Institute, Republican National, Teamsters, America Locations: Pennsylvania, McDonald’s, Las Vegas, U.S, Arizona, Feasterville, Pa, China, Communist

The parent company of TikTok says it has dismissed an intern that it found to have "maliciously interfered" with its artificial intelligence technology effort. In a statement in Chinese released Monday, the parent company, ByteDance, said the intern in question had committed a "serious violation" against its commercial technology team's "research project." In particular, the intern's actions affected ByteDance's AI training program, the company said. In the AI world, companies attempt to program an AI application by "training" it on vast amounts of data to recognize patterns, understand context, and make decisions — in other words, "learn." It is not clear what aspect of the AI model the intern is accused of interfering with.

Persons: ByteDance, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, Harris Organizations: NBC News, Facebook Locations: TikTok, China

The latest benefit from the artificial intelligence revolution: saving American taxpayers billions of dollars. The U.S. Treasury Department said its increased use of artificial intelligence in fraud detection helped prevent or recover more than $4 billion over the past year. "Helping ensure that agencies pay the right person, in the right amount, at the right time is central to our efforts." A Treasury official declined to provide specific examples of how AI had been deployed, given the nature of the activities targeted. The Department said it plans to lend resources and lessons-learned from its AI efforts to other federal agencies.

Persons: Wally Adeyemo Organizations: U.S . Treasury Department, Treasury, The, Juniper Research, Internal Revenue Service, IRS Locations: U.S

The Federal Trade Commission is announcing a finalized rule to make it easier for people to cancel subscriptions and memberships they just don’t want anymore. When the proposed rule was announced last year, Khan said, the agency got about 16,000 comments expressing how canceling subscriptions had become a headache at best. Khan and the FTC have already taken legal action against Amazon’s Prime division over accusations that it is luring customers into subscriptions that the FTC alleges are extraordinarily difficult to cancel. “Some members have the ability to cancel their membership online based on their membership type and location of their home club,” it said. Nelson said she’d be grateful for the changes Khan and the FTC are proposing.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, we’ve, “, ” Khan, that’s, ”, Haley Nelson, didn’t, Nelson, she’d, it’s Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, “, FTC, Amazon’s, Amazon, NBC News, Fitness Locations: U.S, Minnesota

Germany’s flagship airline has been fined $4 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation over allegations it discriminated against a group of Jewish passengers. The regulator said Tuesday that Lufthansa had prohibited 128 people wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing from boarding for a connecting flight in Germany as they made their way from New York City to Budapest, Hungary, in May 2022. “Based on the alleged misconduct of some passengers,” DOT said, Lufthansa staff “treated them all as if they were a single group and denied them boarding,” despite many of the passengers not knowing each other nor traveling together. The penalty is the largest ever issued by the DOT against an airline for a civil rights violation. But the terrible, awful irony of it coming from the German national airline was outrageous.”

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, Deborah Lipstadt, Biden, ‘, ”, Lipstadt Organizations: U.S . Department of Transportation, Lufthansa, JFK, ”, Transportation, NBC News, American Jewish Committee, German Locations: Germany, New York City, Budapest, Hungary, ” U.S

Walgreens said Tuesday it plans to close 1,200 stores over the next three years as it seeks to further downsize its footprint amid flagging sales and changing consumer behavior. Walgreens announced the closures as part of its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, which beat Wall Street's expectations. In June, Walgreens said it planned to close a “significant” number of its underperforming stores by 2027. Both Walgreens and rival CVS are facing a difficult operating environment, fighting to be profitable as consumers shift their habits. In 2021, CVS said it would close about 900 stores, or about 10% of its U.S. locations, from 2022 to 2024.

Persons: Tim Wentworth, ” Wentworth, ” Neil Saunders Organizations: Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Pharmacy, CNBC Locations: U.S

A group of protesters staged at a sit-in outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday morning amid Israeli attacks in Gaza. A number of arrests were made, the spokesperson said, but an exact figure could not immediately be obtained. "As Gaza is bombed, Wall Street booms," Jewish Voices for Peace said in a post on X. The Israeli conflict last week passed the first anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants. Early Monday, a fire broke out in an encampment housing displaced civilians following Israeli attacks in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza.

Persons: Peace, Benjamin Netanyahu, mulling Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Jewish, for, New York Police, NYSE, NBC, ., FEMA, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Associated Press Locations: Gaza, Jewish, Broad, U.S, Al, Aqsa

Bridgette Bello thought she’d taken proper precautions to protect against Florida’s notorious hurricanes, having purchased flood insurance as well as a separate hurricane-specific policy, in addition to her regular homeowners coverage. That’s because flooding caused much of the property damage — and most homeowners insurance policies do not cover any flood impact. A resident cleans the front of his mobile home in Sarasota, Fla., on Oct. 10 after Hurricane Milton. Eva Marie Uzcategui / The Washington Post - Getty ImThe insurance industry is categorizing Hurricane Helene as an almost entirely flood-driven event. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the government-backed plan covering 95% of flood insurance policyholders in America, only covers losses up to 50% of what it deems a property to be worth — not including the land that the property sits on.

Persons: Bridgette Bello, she’d, Helene, —, Milton, Bello, ”, “, Rick Tutwiler, Hurricane Milton, Eva Marie Uzcategui, Amy Bach, Mark Friedlander, Friedlander, adjusters, ” Friedlander, ” Patti Drew’s, Deborah, Drew, didn’t, “ I’m, Shane Ostrander, Ostrander, Kathleen Flynn, she’s, Martin Weiss, Weiss, Chip LaMarca Organizations: Associates, NBC, Hurricane, Washington Post, Insurance Information Institute, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Flood Insurance, NBC News, “, Broward County Republican Locations: Madeira Beach, Tampa, Milton, Florida, Sarasota , Fla, “, Punta Gorda, Florida’s, Charlotte County, America, Fort Pierce, Fla, Orlando, Broward County

Social Security recipients can expect a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase in their payments starting in 2025 amid cooling inflation. On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the 12-month consumer price index inflation rate hit 2.4% in September. The Social Security Administration calculates the annual COLA based on consumer price growth in the months of July, August and September. That, advocates say, is proof that seniors and other Social Security recipients are facing a declining standard of living. “Congress knows this problem is going on, but the gridlock can’t seem to solve anything, much less the third rail of politics that is Social Security,” said Shannon G. Benton, executive director of the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group.

Persons: ”, Mary Johnson, Shannon G, Benton Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Social Security Administration, for Social Security, Data, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social, Social Security, CPI, “, Senior Citizens League Locations: Washington

Ahead of the latest monthly inflation reading, consumers are still coming to terms with the sticker shock of everyday goods and services prices — and lingering uncertainty about the economy. The pace of consumer price growth was expected to have remained largely unchanged in September, according to Dow Jones estimates. Harris has narrowed the gap in some surveys about which presidential candidate would be better on economic issues, but Trump still leads on that metric. Analysts generally agree that’s a sign the economy remains on solid footing, at least according to the data. Today’s inflation numbers could cause Wall Street to pare back expectations of an interest-rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s next meeting in November.

Persons: Dow Jones, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Biden, Trump, Harris, —, ”, Bill Dunkelberg Organizations: Democratic, University of Michigan Consumer Survey, Biden, AAA, Federal, National Federation of Independent Locations: November’s, pare

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward Tampa Bay, some residents are saying that the resources needed to evacuate — especially gasoline — are in short supply, despite a mandate to leave the area. Debris from Helene also poses a risk as Milton approaches because the objects can turn into dangerous projectiles. On social media, lines stretching around the block could be seen at the few gas stations in the greater Tampa Bay area that still had fuel. Hurricane Helene had already damaged her family home and she assumes more, if not total damage, will be wrought by Milton. “What’s really sad is seeing people pulling up to gas stations and just staring at pumps that are out of gas,” she said.

Persons: Milton, Ashley Khrais, she's, ” Khrais, ”, Milton “, Hurricane Helene, Helene, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, ” Castor, Ron DeSantis, “, ” DeSantis, Lindsey Carlson, Carlson, she’s Organizations: National Hurricane Center, FEMA, White, Tampa Mayor, CNN, Milton’s, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Florida Division, Emergency Management, Gov, “ Fox, Patrol Locations: Tampa Bay, Holiday , Florida, Tampa, Florida, Hurricane, Lauderdale’s Port, Southeast Florida, Plant City, Lakeland, Jacksonville, Milton

Friday’s jobs report is expected to show another relatively healthy month of payroll gains, alongside a stable unemployment rate. At the moment, there is little light at the end of the tunnel for those job seekers. The unemployment rate was expected to be unchanged from August, at 4.2%. While the economy continues to add jobs at a steady clip, signs of ongoing labor market weakness have become unmistakable. Last week, the Conference Board’s closely watched consumer confidence survey fell by the largest amount since August 2021, driven largely by concerns about the labor market.

Persons: Dana M, Peterson, Guy Berger, ” Berger, Berger, precariousness Organizations: Labor Statistics, Conference, Conference Board, Glass, Federal Reserve Locations: U.S

Furniture and other manufactured goods, especially machinery like farm equipment, vehicles and auto parts, could also be disrupted, the lobbying group said. “There’s no reason for people to go out and do like we did during Covid and hoard,” Ellen said. There’s no reason for people to go out and do like we did during Covid and hoard. “There’s no reason to panic,” he said, adding that many companies and freight operators have spent months preparing for the strike. Agresta advised consumers to consider similar products and local options if shortages arise for perishable goods, including produce.

Persons: feedstocks, ” Ellen, Andy Ellen, Joseph Agresta, tammytheblackprepper, Agresta, ”, Ron Vachris, “ Organizations: North Carolina Retail, Rutgers Business School, Walmart, Costco Locations: Canada, Mexico, West Coast

Housing is one of many issues Vance, the Republican nominee, believes are rooted in the arrival of undocumented migrants in America. But many economists caution that connecting rising numbers of immigrants to housing costs is no simple thing. Other economists have noted links between immigrants and increased housing costs. Vance later shared two studies on housing and immigration that showed a link between increased immigration and rising housing costs — though each offered various caveats, including noting that the impact changes over time. Indeed, Zillow data shows a clear upward trend in Springfield rents this year compared with 2023.

Persons: America’s, Sen, JD Vance, Tim Walz, Vance, you’ve, ” Vance, Donald Trump, Walz, ”, ” Walz, Kamala Harris, Ernie Tedeschi, Joe Biden, Vance’s, Michelle Bowman, Chris Herbert, Herbert, Sharon Cornelissen, Bryan Heck, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown, Heck, ” Heck Organizations: Minnesota Gov, Republican, CBS, Democratic, NBC, White House, Federal, Cato Institute, Harvard University’s, for Housing Studies, Consumer Federation of America, NBC Boston Locations: Ohio, America, Springfield , Ohio, U.S, New York City, Los Angeles, Dearborn, Hamtramck, Detroit, Brockton , Massachusetts, Haiti, Cape Verde, Central, South America, Springfield, Washington

The Biden administration has announced it is planning to deploy dozens of ground-based Starlink devices that connect with satellites to provide internet services to remote areas. “Since the Hurricane Helene disaster, SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need,” Musk wrote on X Tuesday. “Earlier today, @realDonaldTrump alerted me to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina. In addition to Starlink and SpaceX, Musk also owns Tesla and X, formerly Twitter — and he has bragged about the power he now exerts. “Between Tesla, Starlink & Twitter, I may have more real-time global economic data in one head than anyone ever,” Musk posted on X last year.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, Biden, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Musk, Starlinks, Trump, ” Musk, ” It’s, ” Organizations: SpaceX, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Trump, Hurricane, Russian, Pentagon, Chinese Communist Party, CNN, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Times, U.S ., NASA, Twitter Locations: Appalachia, Hurricane, North Carolina, “, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, ”, U.S, Ukraine, Taiwan, China, Washington

Verizon acknowledged its network was experiencing a technical issue amid hundreds of thousands of reports indicating users were unable to access their mobile phone services Monday. The telecom giant said in a statement that it was "aware of an issue impacting service for some customers." "Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue," it said. DownDetector, a website that monitors connectivity issues for various web and digital services, indicated there were more than 100,000 reports of outages earlier Monday, though by 11:30 a.m. that figure had begun to decline. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Organizations: Verizon, Microsoft

Stefany Serna, 30s, Miami, Florida Working in Miami's high-end restaurants where she has developed a strong reputation among patrons. Thanks to an informal connection to her landlord, the costs for the home she shares with her partner are below market prices. Serna said Miami Springs, a small upper-middle-class city just north of Miami International Airport, is a place where everyone more or less knows each other. According to Zillow, the average market rent for such a two-bedroom in Miami Springs is $2,800. “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay here because I can’t afford it in the long run.”

Persons: Stefany Serna, Serna, ” Serna, she’d, ’ ” Serna, Zillow, “ It’s, ”, “ Organizations: NBC, Dade, Cuban, Miami International Airport, U.S ., Miami, ” Management Locations: Miami, Florida, Coral Gables, Miami Springs, U.S, East Coast, ”

The main national body of the Teamsters union may have declined to endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, but that hasn't stopped local units from doing so. The teamsters have generally backed Democrats for president in recent races. Harris enjoys broad support from other union groups including the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor group, the Service Employees International Union and the Culinary Workers Union. And while the Teamsters' official non-endorsement was a clear setback for Harris, the action has not stopped individual Teamsters units from offering their own statements of support. Kevin Moore, president of the Michigan Teamsters, said the state unit's decision to endorse Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov.

Persons: hasn't, Kamala Harris, Sean O’Brien, O'Brien, Harris, Kevin Moore, Tim Walz, Moore, ” Moore, Bill Carroll, Trump, Walz, Carroll, James P, Hoffa, Jimmy Hoffa, ”, Joe Biden, “ Organizations: Teamsters, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, teamsters, Big Business, ”, Republican National Convention, AFL, Service Employees International Union, Culinary Workers Union, Michigan Teamsters, Minnesota Gov, Council, NBC, NBC News, Republicans, Trump Locations: Michigan , Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan

A unit of Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant will be restarted as part of a new energy-sharing agreement with Microsoft, which plans to use it to power the data centers it operates as part of its push into artificial intelligence. Today, energy has become the new coin of the realm for companies investing in artificial intelligence. That's because the data centers tasked with running the complex calculations needed to power artificial intelligence applications require enormous amounts of power. Restarting Unit 1 will mean bringing 800 megawatts back onto the grid, greater than the amount of hydroelectric power supplied by the Hoover Dam. Microsoft's vice president of energy touted the clean-energy benefits of reviving the facility in a statement.

Persons: Bobby Hollis, Satya Nadella Organizations: Microsoft, Constellation Energy, Constellation, BlackRock Locations: Michigan, Iowa, United States

Stocks surged to open Thursday trading in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it was lowering interest rates by half a percentage point. The Fed’s cut was widely expected, but came in larger than many analysts were forecasting. “The continued decline in mortgage rates is giving the mortgage market a much-needed boost,” Bob Broeksmit, the president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said in a statement. At the same time, a growing set of indicators suggest economic growth may have begun heading in the wrong direction. “The Fed has signaled a high sensitivity to labor-market weakness,” Nomura Holdings financial group said in a note to clients Thursday.

Persons: Stocks, Jay Powell, ” Powell, It’s, “, Bob Broeksmit, ”, Powell Organizations: Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Fed, Mortgage Bankers Association, ” Nomura Holdings, Wall Street, Bank of America Locations: U.S

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce Wednesday its first interest rate cut since 2020. While layoffs remain low, hiring has virtually ground to a halt, especially in some white-collar professions, making the job search process unusually difficult for many. That would entail a cut of at least 0.5% at some point by the time the Fed announces its interest rate in January. The Fed believes Wednesday's anticipated cut, and ones likely coming over the next several months, should put a floor under further economic deterioration. "Layoffs remain low, job openings remain high, GDP is growing at a healthy pace, and there have not been any major negative shocks," David Mericle, Goldman Sachs' chief U.S. economist, said in a note to clients.

Persons: Jay Bryson, Wednesday's, David Mericle, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Federal, Bank of America, Fed, NBC News, Citi Locations: U.S, Wells Fargo

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