MoneyWatch

The new hurricane season is underway, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting as many as nine storms this year, including one to four major hurricanes. Climate change is making matters worse, resulting in heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Most recently, Hurricane Ian, the Category 5 tempest that ripped through …

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week jumped to its highest level since October 2021, even as the labor market remains one of the healthiest parts of the U.S. economy. Applications for jobless claims rose to 261,000 for the week ending June 3, an increase of 28,000 …

A Delta passenger is suing the airline over its claim that it is “carbon-neutral,” alleging that the three-year-old pledge is nothing but greenwashing. The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court in California, alleges that Delta’s claim to be “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline” is a sham. Greenwashing refers to a …

Artificial intelligence could surpass the “expert skill level” in most fields within a decade — and trying to stop the emergence of “superintelligence” is impossible, wrote OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a Monday blog post. “In terms of both potential upsides and downsides, superintelligence will be more powerful than other …

Americans continue to bury themselves in credit card debt this year, with the latest total balance inching close to $1 trillion. U.S. consumers now owe $986 billion on their charge cards, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York data released Monday. That’s a 17% jump from a year ago and a …

Recent turmoil in the banking industry may have you worried about your money. Shares of PacWest, a small regional bank based in Los Angeles, plunged almost 40% Thursday after the company confirmed it may put itself up for sale. Anxiety over potential bank runs has sent shares of smaller banks …

Fox News shocked viewers and media pundits this week when the network announced that it was parting ways with its biggest star, Tucker Carlson. Yet while his departure risks alienating loyal viewers of the popular host, it could also open the door for the broadcaster to attract more mainstream advertisers and …

In January, the Department of Education unveiled details of a repayment plan overhaul that could halve monthly payments for many federal student loan borrowers. But one group, the 3.7 million parents who owe parent PLUS loans, won’t benefit. Policymakers have long excluded parent PLUS loans from most relief, though the …

Amazon.com CEO Andrew Jassy’s 2022 pay plunged to $1.3 million, a sharp drop from his compensation package of $212 million in the prior year. The pay cut means that Jassy, who stepped into the role in 2021, earned less than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who now serves as executive chair …

The Biden administration auctioned off a massive stretch of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling on Wednesday, marking the second time in as many weeks the federal government has facilitated major fossil-fuel development on public lands. The auction, which was required under last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, …