When private equity firms buy mobile home parks, rent increases leave residents with few affordable options in rural areas

Roughly 20 million Americans live in manufactured houses, which are homes made in factories. Although they’re often called mobile homes or trailers, that’s really a misnomer because their owners can’t easily relocate them. Typically, the people who own them rent the land underneath the houses from the owners of manufactured home parks. Sometimes, an owner […]

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Inflation and immigration fears threaten to dampen Miami’s economic benefits from the World Cup

When the U.S. last hosted the World Cup in 1994, the event drew unexpectedly large crowds. At that time, soccer wasn’t as popular among Americans as it is now, so expectations for attendance had been fairly low. So as the U.S. prepared to host the World Cup again in 2026, expectations for tourism were high. […]

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Hybrid work is not always the golden compromise employees expect – even as more companies implement it

A truce of sorts has quelled the return-to-office wars that have raged in the post-pandemic workplace. Hybrid work policies, which require some in-office work while allowing flexibility to work from home, have become commonplace. In 2023, only 20% of companies had implemented hybrid policies. That number had shot up to 38% in 2024 and to […]

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Getting disability benefits got harder after the Social Security Administration’s staff was slashed and program rules were changed by Trump

A rapid series of administrative, staffing and policy changes the Social Security Administration underwent early on in the second Trump administration are making it much harder to get disability benefits that millions of Americans rely on to make ends meet. The agency cut more than 7,100 jobs – more than 13% of its workforce and […]

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What happens to debt when someone dies?

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. What happens to debt when someone dies? – Lucy, age 17, Cincinnati, Ohio Imagine everyone has a large piggy bank that represents everything they own. Inside it are items such […]

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When ICE ramped up enforcement, US-born workers didn’t see any economic gains

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to strengthen the labor market. His immigration platform – including a pledge to conduct the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history – was central to that promise. “For too long, Washington ignored how mass illegal immigration artificially suppressed wages, hurting working-class Americans – especially young men,” wrote Treasury […]

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Trump administration pledges $100M in aid for Cuba, but only if Catholic or other faith-based groups distribute it

The United States is prepared to provide US$100 million in humanitarian assistance to Cuba, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 13, 2026. But there’s a catch. Neither the Cuban government nor its military would be allowed to manage its distribution. Instead, only humanitarian and faith-based partners, such as Caritas – the Catholic Church’s […]

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It’s not just high gas prices – inflation is now spreading through the US economy

Americans don’t need a press release to know that inflation is rising. Gasoline is above $4 per gallon amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the release of key price data on May 28, 2026, underscores why policymakers are worried these pressures could spread into the […]

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Shutting down federal bee labs threatens bees, beekeepers and the US food system

America’s bees and beekeepers are losing a valuable ally just when they need its help most. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to soon close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, a 6,500-acre agricultural research station in Maryland that is home to the nation’s premier bee research and disease diagnosis hub, the Beltsville Bee Research Lab. […]

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Your bank’s AI just blocked your payment – what can you do?

Imagine you’re at the supermarket checkout. Your cart is full. The line behind you is long. You tap your card. Declined. You try again. Declined. You haven’t overspent. You haven’t done anything suspicious. But somewhere inside your bank’s computer systems, a machine made a decision about you in less time than it takes to blink […]

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