Business

Economy

Bitcoin's Rising Value Could Be Good News, But Might Not

7:56pm December 06, 2017

by Uri Berliner

The price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed more than 1,200 percent this year. That's got people talking about the digital currency and wondering why it has climbed so high and whether its rise is a bubble which will burst.

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Three major U.S. airlines have announced new restrictions on "smart luggage" because of the fire hazard posed by lithium-ion batteries in cargo holds. The airlines say any such batteries need to be removable.

National

Airlines Restrict 'Smart Luggage' Over Fire Hazards Posed By Batteries

7:42pm December 06, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Today's suitcases can charge your phone, track their location and even propel themselves behind you. But concerns about their batteries igniting in cargo holds have led airlines to issue new policies.

Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt was sentenced to 7 years in prison for conspiring to evade U.S. clean air laws.

Senior Volkswagen Executive Sentenced In Diesel-Emissions Scandal

6:01pm December 06, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

Oliver Schmidt admitted to conspiring to defraud the United States by misleading federal regulators about the emissions of diesel cars and violating clean air laws.

Economy

Loopholes And Deficits

3:44pm December 06, 2017

Republicans have been complaining about deficits forever. This was their big chance to do something. Why didn't they?

A row of chimneys stand in a neighborhood devastated by a wildfire on Oct. 13, 2017, near Santa Rosa, Calif. Massive wildfires swept through Northern California two months ago, destroying thousands of homes and businesses.

Wildfires Exacerbate Chronic Homelessness In Northern California

2:36pm December 06, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

Residents who lost homes in the wildfires two months ago are adding to the chronic homelessness problem in the city of Santa Rosa, where more than 3,000 people were already living on the streets.

Will The Tax Plan Put More Money In My Pocket?

2:11pm December 06, 2017

It goes beyond a change to your paycheck.

Construction workers at a site in Miami. Thousands of construction workers in the U.S. face the elimination of their temporary protected status and the prospect of deportation.

Ending Temporary Protection For Foreign Workers Could Hurt U.S. Rebuilding Efforts

12:47pm December 06, 2017

by Yuki Noguchi

If the U.S. ends temporary protected status for 300,000 Caribbean and Central American workers, there are fears it will have ripple effects — especially on post-hurricane construction.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell talks with reporters after leaving a news conference on the tax overhaul in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Are GOP Senators Wiping Out Tax Breaks For Corporations?

12:17pm December 06, 2017

by Danielle Kurtzleben

A contradiction in the Senate tax bill appears to weaken some of the very benefits it was introducing for big businesses. But it might not last as lawmakers work out a final bill.

The ruined castle of La Mothe-Chandeniers in central western France. The crowdfunding site Dartagnans organized an effort to buy the chateau for 500,000 euros.

World News

7,500 Strangers Just Bought A Crumbling French Chateau Together

10:09pm December 05, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Each paid at least 50 euros to "adopt" the castle and help restore it. The campaign is part of an effort to crowdfund the protection of the country's cultural heritage sites.

The Grinch, played by Jim Carrey, conspires with his dog Max to deprive the Whos of their favorite holiday in the live-action adaptation of "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

'Grinch Bots' Attempt To Steal Christmas By Driving Up Toy Prices

5:28pm December 05, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging retailers to stop "Grinch bots" who use sophisticated software to buy out the most popular toys of the season and sell them for a hefty markup on third-party sites.