The average interest rate on a fixed 30-year mortgage in the U.S. reached 5.53% this week, more than double its level from a year ago. Although that could lift the cost of purchasing a home beyond the means of many aspiring buyers, some house-hunters are likely to benefit, according to …

Hawaii lawmakers passed legislation Tuesday that would boost the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2028, potentially creating the highest minimum wage for workers in the U.S. Hawaii’s minimum wage is currently $10.10 an hour. The bill would raise that rate in increments over the next several years, …

Three Haitian nationals and one U.S. citizen are facing weapons trafficking charges for allegedly smuggling firearms and ammunition to Haiti for the 400 Mawozo gang. The gang claimed responsibility last year for kidnapping a group of missionaries. Joly “Yonyon” Germine, 29, Eliande Tunis, 43, Jocelyn Dor, 29, and Walder St. …

Fidelity Investments customers with a 401(k) account will be able to invest a portion of their account funds in bitcoin starting later this year, the first time a major retirement plan provider is adding cryptocurrency to their menu. Dave Gray, head of workplace retirement offerings at Fidelity, said Tuesday that the company …

San Jose police said Wednesday that they have charged three people with kidnapping a three-month-old baby who was taken from an apartment Monday afternoon while his grandmother was unloading groceries from a car outside. The baby was found alive and unharmed Tuesday.  Jose Roman Portillo, Yesenia Guadalupe Ramirez and Baldomeo …

A Washington Nationals pregame display involving U.S. Army parachutists briefly caused an evacuation at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. U.S. Capitol Police around 6:30 p.m. sent an alarming notice to Capitol Hill staff that it was “tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat to the Capitol Complex.” Less than …

Retail giant Amazon has hired a legal firm that will conduct a workforce audit focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, joining three other major U.S. companies that recently launched racial equity audits.  Amazon’s audit “will evaluate any disparate racial impacts on our nearly one million U.S. hourly employees resulting from …

Update: Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel on Aug. 11, 2023, after a potential plea deal with Hunter Biden collapsed. Read the latest here. Our earlier story is below. U.S. Attorney David Weiss has managed to stay out of the spotlight for much of his 20-year …

The familiar sights and sounds are still there: The scuffed and faded floor tiles, the relentless beige-on-beige color scheme, the toddlers’ clothes and refrigerators and pretty much everything in between. There’s even a canned recording that begins, “Attention, Kmart shoppers” — except it’s to remind folks about COVID-19 precautions, not …

Michelle Obama reflected on the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court in an Instagram post on Thursday, saying she will give Black women and girls “a future we can all be hopeful for.” Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s …