FINANCE

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) Ten of the 13 programs meant to keep the B-52 flying into the 2050s are over budget, behind schedule or underperforming, a federal watchdog found, including new engines and radar. The findings, in a new report from the Government Accountability Office, come as the Air...

(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) After days of drawn-out negotiations, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a short-term government funding stopgap early Saturday morning. Both chambers of Congress now leave for the entire month of August. The House must approve the Senate’s continuing resolution when it returns before President Donald Trump...

(Jon Styf, The Center Square) Two donors said they had never before made a political donation. Another said “look where I’m living” when asked if he made 7,878 donations worth $93,168. And many more Wisconsin seniors confirmed they had not donated nearly as much as had been claimed in federal...

(Money Metals News Service) Platinum and palladium have participated in the broader precious-metals rally, but beneath the price action, important differences are emerging. Money Metals host Mike Maharrey recently spoke with Edward Sterck, Director of Research at the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC), about persistent platinum supply deficits, palladium’s dependence on...

(Headline USA) The Federal Aviation Administration this week ordered inspections for hundreds of Boeing planes, following reports of cracks in some older models. The now-finalized rule, which was unveiled Thursday and kicks in Sept. 10, applies to certain aircraft under three Boeing 737 Max models: the 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200....

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that President Donald Trump was engaging in “theater diplomacy,” citing the US president’s many threats and climbdowns amid uncertainty over whether a deal between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz will be reached. “‘Massive attack coming…...

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened “leakers” with jail time over reports about dwindling US military stockpiles as a result of the Iran war, and claimed the US had plenty of munitions available. “The US has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts...

(Headline USA) A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a ruling late Thursday that the bulk of the money...

(Alan Wooten, The Center Square) Following prison sentences of a combined 24 years for drug charges, two Hondurans illegally in America will be deported, federal prosecutors in North Carolina say. Their arrest, sentencing and eventual deportation is the example of an executive order from the president executed to protect Americans'...

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) What an awful jobs report. And I’m not even talking about the contraction of -23,000 jobs in July. I’m talking about the revisions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the economy shed 23,000 jobs last month. Economists were expecting 83,000 new jobs in July. Oops. Interestingly, despite job...

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) There is an unimaginable fortune floating between 150 and 400 million miles from Earth. It’s an asteroid named Psyche. Some people think we can solve global poverty by mining this space gold and other precious metals. We can’t. Scientists believe this 144-mile-long floating space rock contains large...

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Asian banks have beefed up their gold product and service offerings in recent months. According to The Banker, this represents “a structural wealth shift in wealth allocation.” New products and innovations introduced in the Asian gold market run the gamut from investing platforms that offer...