Car buyers bear a heavy burden as Federal Reserve keeps raising rates: Auto-loan rejections are up

BY CORA LEWIS AND TOM KRISHER NEW YORK (AP) - The Federal Reserve's expected move Wednesday to raise interest rates for the 11th time could once again send ripple effects across the economy. Mortgage rates, which have surged since the Fed began lifting rates in March 2022, could rise further. So could rates on credit cards and some business loans. Perhaps no one has felt the pain more than car buyers. It's not just that sticker prices are

Medicaid expansion in North Carolina will begin Oct. 1, if lawmakers can enact a budget

BY GARY D. ROBERTSON RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Gov. Roy Cooper's administration is aiming to extend Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults starting Oct. 1, but that date depends on lawmakers completing the last step necessary to implement the expansion legislation he signed into law months ago. The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed on Wednesday that it's got an agreement with federal Medicaid regulators to

Federal Reserve raises its key rate for 11th time by a quarter-point in its drive to slow inflation

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the 11th time in 17 months, a streak of hikes that are intended to curb inflation but that also carry the risk of going too far and triggering a recession. The move lifted the Fed's benchmark short-term rate from roughly 5.1% to 5.3% - its highest level since 2001. Coming on top of its previous

Cigna health giant accused of improperly rejecting thousands of patient claims using an algorithm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A federal lawsuit alleges that health insurance giant Cigna used a computer algorithm to automatically reject hundreds of thousands of patient claims without examining them individually, as California law requires. The class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Sacramento, says Cigna Corp. and Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. rejected more than 300,000 payment claims in just two months last year. The company used an

Adding to the candidate list, ex-North Carolina Sen. Ballard is running for lieutenant governor

BLOWING ROCK, N.C. (AP) - Deanna Ballard, a former North Carolina state senator who helped assemble the Republicans' education policy in her legislative chamber, announced on Monday her candidacy for lieutenant governor next year. Ballard, who served over six years in the Senate representing multiple northwestern counties through 2022, adds another veteran state government politician to the field. Current GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running for governor. A longtime employee

American Women’s Team dominated their World Cup opener. They face a tougher task against the Dutch

BY JENNA FRYER AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) - The United States and the Netherlands meet again on the Women's World Cup stage - with smaller stakes than the 2019 title game won by the Americans - and the Dutch team collecting injuries at a terrible time of the tournament. The Netherlands will most likely be without forward Lineth Beerensteyn, who was hurt early in her team's 1-0 victory over Portugal to open the tournament when they

Hunter Biden’s plea deal on hold after federal judge raises concerns over the terms of the agreement

BY CLAUDIA LAUER, RANDALL CHASE AND COLLEEN LONG WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The plea deal in Hunter Biden's criminal case unraveled during a court hearing Wednesday after a federal judge raised concerns about the terms of an agreement that has infuriated Republicans who believe the president's son is getting preferential treatment. Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income

Rudy Giuliani is not disputing that he made false statements about Georgia election workers

BY KATE BRUMBACK ATLANTA (AP) - Rudy Giuliani is not disputing that he made public comments falsely claiming two Georgia election workers committed ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential race but he argues that his words are constitutionally protected statements, according to a court filing. That assertion by Giuliani, who as part of Donald Trump's legal team tried to overturn results in battleground states, came Tuesday in a lawsuit by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

House Republicans plan to hold Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg in contempt of Congress

BY FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is threatening to hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt of Congress for failing to supply documents related to an investigation into supposed censorship by tech companies of conservatives. Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the panel plans to hold a hearing Thursday to vote on a contempt report detailing how Zuckerberg has "willfully