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[ad_1] Views of the nation's economy have ticked back up — though they remain a long way from good. And amid mixed economic messages and reports, there's little consensus among Americans on which way the economy is headed from here.  In another sign of uncertainty as debt ceiling talks continue, Americans' views on the debt limit are tied to how likely they think an economic downturn is if it isn't raised.  The uptick in economic views puts them back a bit above where they started 2023, varying a bit perhaps in another sign of collective uncertainty. Alongside that, President Biden's overall job approval now heading into his State of the Union address Tuesday is at 45%. It's been relatively stable and is a point higher than at the start of this year among Americans overall. His ratings for handling the economy are still far from positive, but a little higher than they were last summer. 

[ad_1] As part of its retaliation against China over the alleged spy balloon that flew across U.S. airspace last week, the U.S. has blacklisted six Chinese entities it says were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs. The economic restrictions announced Friday followed the Biden administration's pledge to consider broader efforts to address Chinese surveillance activities and will make it more difficult for the five companies and one research institute to obtain American technology exports. The move is likely to further escalate the diplomatic row between the U.S. and China sparked by the balloon, which was shot down last weekend off the Carolina coast. The U.S. said the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, but Beijing insists it was a weather craft that had blown off course. The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a trip to Beijing aimed at easing tensions. The U.

[ad_1] Biden administration officials announced a significant step Wednesday in moving the U.S. toward a more expansive and cohesive network of EV charging stations. Part of the move includes a major concession from EV market  leader Tesla, which owns and operates an extensive network of proprietary "superchargers" for its cars. But now, White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu says the Elon Musk-led company has agreed to open part of its charging network to non-Tesla vehicles.   "These recent and new commitments will make more public chargers available for all EVs," Landrieu said Tuesday on a background call with reporters. "With announcements like today's and the overall growth we're seeing, it's clear that this administration is making incredible progress towards building our electric future."  Some $7.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be spent on bu

[ad_1] DETROIT — Strikes by the United Auto Workers union against General Motors , Ford Motor and Stellantis will get the presidential treatment this week in Michigan. Twice, in fact. President Joe Biden visited a picket line Tuesday at a GM parts facility in Belleville following a public invitation Friday from UAW President Shawn Fain, who joined Biden for the visit. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner among Republicans in the 2024 presidential race, is scheduled to hold a rally Wednesday night at an auto supplier in Clinton Township, Michigan. Biden and Trump are effectively tied in the polls over a year out from the election. Each 2024 presidential candidate is trying to win over blue-collar voters such as Darius Collier, one of about 18,300 autoworkers currently on strike , who says he's "indifferent" about the candidates. President Joe Biden speaks next to Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, as he joins striking members of the union

[ad_1] Pavlo Gonchar | LightRocket | Getty Images Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday sued the Biden administration over Medicare's new powers to slash drug prices, making it the third pharmaceutical company to challenge the controversial provision of the Inflation Reduction Act .   The lawsuit filed in federal district court in New Jersey argues the Medicare negotiations violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Earlier suits brought separately by drugmakers Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb , as well as by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and PhRMA , the pharmaceutical industry's largest lobbying group, made similar arguments. J&J's complaint asks a judge to block the U.S. Health and Human Services Department from compelling the drugmaker to participate in the program. The company said its suit aims to stop the "innovation-damaging congressional overreach that threatens the United States' primacy in developing transformative therapies

[ad_1] U.S. President Joe Biden waves from Air Force One as he departs Washington for Dover, Delaware at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 7, 2023. Kevin Wurm | Reuters President Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend time in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After arriving at night in London, Biden will meet the next day with King Charles III for the first time since he was crowned. Next is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders will debate the war and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression. The final stop is in Helsinki, where Biden on Thursday is expected to celebrate the expanding alliance, with Finland as the newest member of NATO. His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would "showcase the president's leadership on the world stage." A look at Biden's agenda and the issues he will face: London Biden arr

[ad_1] Restaurateur Danny Meyer doesn't think customers need to tip when they pick up takeout or buy coffee. "If you're just taking out food, and it was just a transaction — I give you money, you give me a cup of coffee — I don't think there's any obligation to tip whatsoever," Meyer said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday. Meyer founded Shake Shack and serves as chair of its board. The burger chain added tipping to its restaurants last year. He also founded Union Square Hospitality Group, which mostly operates full-service restaurants. The company's eateries include Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and fast-casual chain Daily Provisions. As more businesses adopt Square's and Toast's point-of-sale systems, customers are getting more used to being prompted to tip as they pay. But some leave feeling overcharged or confused about how much they should tip. CEO of Shake Shack Randy Garutti (Left) and founder and Chairman Danny Mey

[ad_1] Bill Ackman Scott Mlyn | CNBC Bill Ackman said in 2021 that delaying Covid vaccinations for older Americans "seems like genocide." Today, the influential hedge fund chief and investor is amplifying the debunked anti-vaccine views of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ackman is not denying his change. In fact, he said Kennedy is asking "important questions" about vaccines, raising issues he is interested in learning more about. Several of Ackman's recent tweets about Covid vaccines have stunned and confounded many of his colleagues on Wall Street, according to several people who have known and been allied with him for years. And it's led both his allies and foes to ask the same question: Why is he doing this? Ackman answered that question in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday. "I listened to RFK on several podcasts and a town hall and thought he raised important issues about vaccines and other issues that were worth lea

[ad_1] After the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's plan to wipe away about $430 billion in student loan debt, many borrowers are now scrambling to figure out exactly when their next payment is due, how much they owe and whether they'll be able to afford that bill. President Joe Biden has promised to continue to work on a proposal to forgive student loan debt. Yet, "under the law, this path could take time," said U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, vowing to keep borrowers updated in the months ahead. For now, the Biden administration is taking action to help provide some relief to borrowers by offering a more affordable income-driven repayment plan. More from Your Money: Here's a look at more stories on how to manage, grow and protect your money for the years ahead. The new Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE Plan , will cut down the amount borrowers have to make on monthly payments by half — to just 5% of their disposable income,

[ad_1] The finances of about 40 million Americans with college loans may take a hit now that the Supreme Court has struck down President Biden's plan  to forgive up to $20,000 per person in student debt. Borrowers are now facing a double whammy this summer because the high court invalidated the plan just before the pause on debt repayment lifts in September. That means borrowers will need to start repaying their loans on September 1 without any debt relief, experts note. The Biden plan, announced last August, was aimed at wiping out the student-loan debt of 20 million Americans, while lowering the balances of 20 million others who qualified for the relief. On Friday, the court's conservative majority found  that federal law does not authorize the program to wipe out nearly half-a-trillion dollars in debt. With repayments resuming without any debt relief, more than 12 million borrowers could find it difficult to make their payme