Trump is losing his war of independence on rare earths

Inefficiency, untrustworthiness and cronyism are weakening the administration’s plans to stand up to China

A new force is increasing inequality in America

Sam Altman, the chief executive who unleashed ChatGPT on the world, has called artificial intelligence an “equalizing force” that will “collectively lift us all up.”

Venezuela oil minister to U.S. companies: ‘It's an entire world waiting to be discovered’

Venezuela’s new petroleum minister sees her South American home not as a dilapidated former oil giant, but as an emerging energy economy ripe for U.S. and foreign investments in new oil and gas exploration, both onshore and offshore.

Teachers in one of San Francisco's richest suburbs are so underpaid that a philanthropist just gave each of them $9,161

It’s no secret teachers in the U.S. are widely underpaid. Despite putting in far more work hours than other adults each week, teachers in many states make less than the U.S. median salary of about $64,220.

Home equity loan and HELOC rates: Aug. 20, 2026

Both home equity loans and HELOCs give homeowners a way to borrow against equity accumulated through mortgage paydown or an outright home purchase. These loans use your property as collateral, which generally results in lower rates compared with unsecured borrowing options.

Current ARM Mortgage Rates Report for Aug. 20, 2026

Homeowners with some tolerance for uncertainty might find that an adjustable-rate mortgage is worth considering as a way to get a low introductory rate before the adjustments kick in. This loan type can be a particularly good choice if you’re aiming to rent out for flip the property, or when you know you intend to move before the loan’s fixed-rate period ends.

Current refi mortgage rates report for Aug. 20, 2026

The current average refinance rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan is 6.716%, according to Mortgage Research Center data. If you’re a homeowner hoping to refinance your mortgage for a lower rate or perhaps to tap home equity, read on to see average refi interest rates for a variety of loan types and terms. You can also see the prior day’s report here.

In this economy, millennials and Gen Z would rather break up than date someone in debt: 'There's a pretty big divide'

Checking a partner’s credit score used to be something people joked about before a third date. Now it’s closer to standard practice. According to TD Bank’s 2026 Love & Money Survey, which polled 2,000 adults, 46% of Americans say someone’s debt or financial habits would influence whether they pursue a serious relationship with them—and Millennials (51%) and Gen Z (49%) are more likely to say so than Gen X or Baby Boomers (39% each).

Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant given life sentence

Evergrande chair Hui Ka Yan jailed following developer’s default almost five years ago

UK finally showing signs of productivity growth, say economists

Better output figures are a fillip to chancellor John Healey and come after years of underperformance

The slow sucking sound of AI

Searching for signs of crowding out

‘How bad can it be?’ Chinese animated film becomes viral sensation

Low-budget production from mother-and-son team proves unlikely hit with cinemagoers and social media users