Hiring was weaker than expected in September, as the economy added just 29,000 jobs, and the jobless rate ticked up to 4.2%. Economists were expecting 90,000 jobs to be added and unemployment to stay at 4.1%.
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The US economy added just 29,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%
The US labor market hit a soft patch in September as the economy added just 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%, new Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Friday.
Trump is sending $500 refund checks to nearly a million Americans. Here’s who gets them
The Affordable Care Act $500 refund checks are in the mail to nearly a million Americans, along with a letter from President Donald Trump touting his healthcare accomplishments and casting blame on his predecessor.
Polymarket is facing calls for more regulation. It’s introducing sportsbook-style safeguards
Prediction site Polymarket rolled out new consumer protections and anti-addiction measures Wednesday, as a growing number of policymakers call for more regulation of the booming industry.
Trump’s tariffs are back in court — again
Here we go again: President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs are back under the legal microscope.
AI executives are meeting with Trump. It’s happening at a very turbulent time
Top tech executives will convene in Washington on Tuesday with President Donald Trump, as incidents of AI agents going rogue continue to pile up, further fueling AI safety fears.
Why the AI boom makes inflation harder to tame
The US economy may have a new problem: It’s too strong.
‘Is it really worth it to keep going on?’ Economic pain hits America’s farm belt
John Yeley has spent the last 26 years working on his farm, which his family has owned since 1852.
US and China agree to cut tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods, from coal to toys
The United States and China have agreed to slash tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods, deepening efforts to stabilize a frequently testy relationship.
‘It’s devastating’: The US-Canada trade war is putting protein on the menu
Attention, protein maxers: One of your highly coveted ingredients is taking center stage in the escalating trade war between the United States and Canada.
Trump wants to take a page out of the Biden energy playbook
In January 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump blasted the Biden administration for freezing approvals for new plants to export US liquefied natural gas.
Not everyone thinks AI will kill us all
When AI company Hugging Face was hacked by a swarm of rogue OpenAI agents who had escaped their testing environment, the company’s CEO had many things to say.
Global bond sell-off deepens, sending borrowing costs higher around the world
The US 30-year Treasury yield rose as high as 5.46% Thursday, its highest level since 2004, extending a recent sell-off that’s seen yields climb around the globe.
Meta says its Muse AI agent can do things for you. I put it to the test
It’s been a busy afternoon for Pip, the AI agent I’ve been using in Meta’s Muse app.

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War in Iran

Cargo ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, before sunrise Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/AP
Iran has lost considerable leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. It can’t go on like this forever
Gulf oil producers, with considerable support from the US Navy, are jamming crude through the Strait of Hormuz, right under Iran’s nose.

Affordability in America

Customers purchase gas at a station on September 15, 2026 in Chicago. Gas prices across the United States continue to rise as the war with Iran has disrupted the global flow of crude oil.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Americans still feel worse about the economy than at almost any point in modern history
US consumer sentiment fell to its second-lowest level on record in September as high gas prices further soured Americans’ views of the economy.

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A job seeker holds paperwork during the Mega JobNewsUSA South Florida Job Fair held in the Amerant Bank Arena on September 25, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. Hiring managers and recruiters from more than 50 companies attended the job fair to recruit workers for opportunities across a range of companies.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Black unemployment just rose at its fastest pace since Covid
Cherry-picking one data point from a monthly economic report is neither fair nor necessarily telling. But one statistic stood out in September’s mostly “meh” jobs report like a sore thumb.
Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance, David Ellison announces
The combined Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance, CEO David Ellison announced Friday, a few days before the merger’s completion.
Trump announced a $54 billion energy investment from South Korea. South Korea said he jumped the gun
A struggling project to export natural gas from Alaska has turned into another potential sticking point in the allies’ long-running negotiations over trade.
Topo Chico is finally returning to store shelves
The Topo Chico shortage of 2026 is soon coming to an end.

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