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MEXICO CITY — Workers at a General Motors plant in Mexico have voted to end a collective bargaining contract negotiated by an old-guard union accused of intimidation tactics in earlier votes. It was an early display of the effectiveness of labor mechanisms negotiated under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement.

Three Democratic senators are asking the Taiwanese government to help the U.S. with a chip shortage that has idled auto plants and sent workers packing throughout the industry as the global economy struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fourth straight time to a pandemic low, the latest sign that America’s job market is rebounding from the pandemic recession as employers boost hiring to meet a surge in consumer demand.

The national average price of diesel dipped eight-tenths of a cent to $3.356 a gallon, according to Energy Information Administration data released Aug. 16.

Supply chain challenges have prompted multiple states in the Midwest to extend regulatory relief to truckers who haul fuel.

Top congressional Republicans announced their opposition to Democratic leaders’ pursuit of a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would be considered alongside a big-ticket infrastructure package. Separately, a small group of moderate House Democrats took issue with their party’s legislative timeline.

Two U.S. senators are urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Tesla Inc. uses deceptive marketing practices by labeling its driver-assistance systems “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving.”

A recent report from Pennsylvania’s Transportation Revenue Options Commission shows a mileage-based user fee could serve as a viable option for long-term transportation funding.

The partial closure of the world’s third-busiest container port is worsening congestion at other major Chinese ports, as ships divert from Ningbo amid uncertainty over how long virus control measures in the city will last.

Tropical Depression Fred swirled over West Virginia early Aug. 18 and dumped heavy rain over the northeastern U.S., threatening to unleash mudslides and flash floods in upstate New York after closing interstate highways in the lower Appalachians. Tornado watches remained in effect for mountainous areas of Virginia and the Carolinas.