AP National Business

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration’s contentious approval of a questionable Alzheimer’s drug took another hit Thursday as congressional investigators called the process “rife with irregularities.” The 18-month investigation by two House committees detailed “atypical collaboration” between FDA regulators and a company it’s supposed to oversee — Aduhelm manufacturer Biogen. The probe also

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett broke with his practice of staying out of local politics to urge his hometown of Omaha to abandon its planned streetcar project because he says it’s too expensive and not as flexible as buses. Buffett wrote a letter to the editor

CINCINNATI (AP) — Kentucky and Ohio will get more than $1.6 billion in federal grants to help build a new Ohio River bridge near Cincinnati. They money announced Thursday will also be used to improve the existing overloaded span there along a heavily used freight route connecting the Midwest and the South. Congestion at the

The Associated Press Stocks rallied to a higher close on Wall Street as new jobless benefits data showed that the labor market remains strong. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% Thursday and the Nasdaq and Dow also closed higher. The major indexes are headed for monthly losses to cap off the worst year for stock investors

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: ViaSat Inc., up $1.91 to $31.76. The provider of satellite and wireless networking technology announced a $325 million U.S. military contract. Cal-Maine Foods Inc., down $9.02 to $53.17. The egg producer reported weak fiscal second-quarter earnings. Goldman Sachs, up $2.56 to

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is alleging that a major drug wholesaler contributed to the deadly toll from opioids by turning a blind eye to warning signs about suspicious sales to its pharmacy customers. An 87-page civil enforcement action filed Thursday accuses AmerisourceBergen Corp. of failing to

By JOHN HANNA Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A pipeline operator has put a damaged section in Kansas back into service, a little more than three weeks after a spill dumped 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek. Canada-based T.C. Energy announced Thursday that it had completed repairs, inspections and testing on its

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York rung up its first sales on Thursday, opening up what is expected to be one of the country’s most lucrative markets for cannabis — underscored by the dozens of unauthorized shops that have operated in

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The first legal dispensary for recreational marijuana in New York is ringing up its first sales, opening up what is expected to be one of the country’s biggest and most lucrative markets for cannabis. The widely anticipated opening of the first state-sanctioned dispensary is operated

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after more than a week of widespread flight cancellations that started with a winter storm and spiraled out of control because of a breakdown with staffing technology. If Thursday turns out to be the last

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press Amiah Manlove used most of her savings to buy a $711 airline ticket to go home for the holidays. Then the Army private got stuck midway through the over 4,000-mile journey from Hawaii to Indianapolis and had to sleep on an airport floor. Manlove, 20, an active-duty soldier stationed in

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Economists are baffled by a wider-than-usual divergence between long-term mortgage rates and the yield on the benchmark U.S. government bond that is driving a sharp rise in borrowing costs and helping to torpedo the U.S. housing market this year. This spread has historically averaged around

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after slashing about two-thirds of its schedule in recent days, including canceling another 2,350 flights Thursday. Southwest is struggling to recover after being overwhelmed by a winter storm that left hundreds of pilots and flight

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska company is recalling alfalfa sprouts sold in three states after 16 cases of salmonella were linked to the food. SunSprouts said Thursday that its recall covers 808 pounds (366.5 kilograms) of sprouts that it sold to distributors in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas in November

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week after falling for six straight weeks, adding to the challenges potential homebuyers face amid rising home prices and a limited supply of available homes. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has appointed a new head of its central bank after the country’s currency crashed to its lowest level ever against the dollar amid mass protests and ongoing Western sanctions. The rial was trading at around 430,000 to the dollar on Thursday, down from 370,000 earlier this month. Already

Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after slashing about two-thirds of its schedule in recent days, including canceling another 2,350 flights Thursday. Southwest is struggling to recover after being overwhelmed by a winter storm that left hundreds of pilots and flight attendants stranded out of

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus is seeking to strengthen ties with India through agreements aimed at tighter military cooperation, expanding the use of solar energy and stemming illegal migration. Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said after a meeting with his visiting Indian counterpart Thursday that an initial agreement would act as a springboard for talks

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A court in Dubai has approved the extradition to Denmark of a British financier accused of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax scheme. Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah is accused of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish