°®¶¹´«Ã½

WASHINGTON — Americans stepped up their purchases at retailers last month as low unemployment, steady pay gains and rising stock and home values helped sustain their willingness to spend.

Opponents, including trade groups and companies in the power and mining industries, were seeking to halt the rules while a legal challenge goes forward at a federal appeals court.

The federal government has been under intense pressure to show that it is getting help to areas devastated by the back-to-back hurricanes and warns that more money will be needed.

The exemptions are designed to facilitate aid delivery to Southern states still recovering from hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The Biden administration is poised to loan nearly $671 million to Aspen Aerogels Inc. to make a key component of electric car batteries in the election battleground state of Georgia.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Volvo Trucks North America President Peter Voorhoeve reaffirmed Oct. 13 his commitment to lowering emissions with electric trucks even amid a slowing market.

Iowa is incentivizing biodiesel production with $1.85 million in new biofuel grants announced by state Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig to support rural jobs.

The EU’s favored approach would be to seek an agreement with Trump on some areas of common interest such as China, said one of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded SeaPort Manatee a $9.5 million grant to help repair berths and infrastructure after the port sustained $225 million in damages from Hurricane Milton.

Wolfspeed, a manufacturer of chips used primarily in EVs, is in line to win $750 million in U.S. government grants as well as $750 million in financing led by Apollo Global Management.