>>Jobless Claims Up By 12,000
(Washington, DC) -- The number of Americans asking for first-time unemployment benefits is up. The Labor Department says it received 248-thousand requests for the week that ended July 1st. That's up 12-thousand from the week prior. But it's not too far off from what most analysts had been expecting. The thinking was that today's number would be right around 245-thousand.
>>Meta Twitter Competitor 'Threads' Goes Live
(Menlo Park, CA) -- "Threads," Meta's competitor to Twitter, has already garnered millions of users in the hours since it launched Wednesday. The text-based social networking app allows Instagram users to post short updates, links, pictures and videos. Several high profile users were quick to join, including the likes of Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The app is available in over 100 countries, but not the European Union, over concerns around local data privacy regulations.
>>Hotel Workers Back, But They Might Walk Again
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Striking hotel workers are back on the job in Los Angeles - at least for now. They walked off the job for much of the long holiday weekend as they demanded higher pay and better benefits. Union officials say they might show up at other hotels with new picket lines. They add that the holiday strike only targeted 19 hotels. The union says workers could hit the picket lines at 41 other hotels at any moment. Hotel representatives accuse the union, Unite Here Local 11, of being inflexible. Last week, a deal was reached with the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown L-A.
>>Ad Spending for 2024 Elections Has Already Doubled 2020
(Undated) -- Spending on political advertising for the 2024 elections has already doubled what was spent for the 2020 cycle. The polls don't open for another 15 months, yet in this off-year, AdImpact reports that more than 453-million-dollars have been spent so far. By this time in the 2020 election calendar, less than 222 million was spent on political campaigns. Consultants believe this trend will continue up until election day.
>>Honda Recalls 100K Vehicles Due To Brake Issue
(Tokyo) -- Honda is recalling over 100-thousand vehicles due to brake issues. The recall includes certain recent-model Civic, Ridgeline, Passport, Pilot and Acura MDX vehicles. The issue involves a loose fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder, which could lead to a possible loss of brake function. Letters notifying drivers will be mailed out next month. Owners can have their vehicles inspected and repaired at dealerships free of charge.
>>Powerball Nears $600M
(Undated) -- The Powerball jackpot is nearing 600-million dollars. No one won Wednesday's grand prize of 546-million, so the jackpot rolls over to Saturday's drawing and will be worth an estimated 590-million dollars. The Mega Millions jackpot is also reaching astronomical heights, and will be worth about 427-million dollars when those numbers are drawn this Friday.
