The holiday season means time with family and new memories, but it can also mean lots of spending — sometimes too much.

Russia’s Central Bank says it has filed a lawsuit against Belgian financial institution Euroclear.

A new AP-NORC poll finds this holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares of them are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump.

An official says Germany has summoned the Russian ambassador following accusations of sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference.

Ford Motor Co. has stepped up technology in its popular F-150 pickup to combat ever-evolving techniques car thieves have at their disposal.

The European Union is set to lock up Russia’s assets in Europe until Russia ends its war on Ukraine and compensates for the damage.

Trading on Wall Street is mixed in the premarket as worries persisted about a potential bubble in artificial-intelligence technology.

International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors are trying to live and work under the same financial and travel restrictions brought against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Osama bin Laden.

The first two episodes of Taylor Swift's six-episode docuseries “The End of an Era” will premiere on Disney+ Friday.

Global online forum Reddit has filed a court challenge to Australia’s world-first law that bans Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on the world’s most popular social media platforms.

A federal appeals court on Thursday backed a ruling that held Apple in civil contempt for brazenly defying an order designed to open its iPhone app store to other payment systems besides its own, but the decision also reopened a door for the company to collect commission from the rival options.

China will soon start collecting a value-added tax on contraceptive drugs and products for the first time in over 30 years.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence.

A Democratic Senator says the head of the Federal Aviation Administration has not sold off his multimillion-dollar stake in the airline he led since 1999 despite a promise to do so as part of his ethics agreement.

A new lawsuit seeks to overturn the recent approval of an exploratory drilling program in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

A Hollywood director has been convicted on charges that he scammed Netflix out of $11 million for a show that never materialized, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about $1 million in mattresses and luxury bedding.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued new guidance stating airlines don't have to cover passenger expenses like meals or lodging when a flight is canceled or significantly delayed by an aircraft recall.

The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is facing a court hearing to determine whether he’s competent to stand trial for alleged sex trafficking after being hospitalized for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is proposing changes to the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Senators from both parties are pushing to change a defense bill after crash investigators and victims' families warned it could undo key safety reforms.

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged higher this week, though it remains relatively near its low point so far this year.

Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI to bring characters like Mickey Mouse and Luke Skywalker to the AI company's Sora video tool.

A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction.

Chase Sui Wonders always thought she was “kind of funny,” but it was officially confirmed after booking “The Studio” after just one audition.

Navigating holiday parties can be tough for introverts and people who are shy or have social anxiety.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week, but the total number of those collecting benefits fell to the lowest level in eight months.

Bulgaria’s government has resigned as mass protests gripped the country just weeks before it’s due to join the eurozone.

The heirs of an 83-year-old Connecticut woman are suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft for wrongful death.

A strike called by Portugal’s two main trade union confederations has caused severe travel disruption and forced the cancellation of many medical appointments and school classes.

Wall Street rose to more records even as a sell-off for Oracle and worries about a potential bubble in artificial-intelligence technology weighed on the market.

Onetime cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a $40 billion crash revealed his crypto ecosystem to be a fraud.

American farmers are feeling the strain from trade disputes under President Donald Trump, particularly with China.

Coca-Cola said Wednesday that its chief operating officer will become its next CEO in the first quarter of 2026.

Federal prison officials say the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is fit to stand trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Sweeping taxes on imports have cost the average American household nearly $1,200 since Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, according to calculations by Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee.

President Donald Trump has announced the long-awaited launch of a "gold card" program offering legal status and a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the third time since September, bringing its key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years.

The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again.

Travelers who are now able to come to the United States without a visa might soon need to provide social media, email, and family history details to the Department of Homeland Security.

Oil companies have offered $300 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico in the first offshore lease sale for the region since 2023.

The billionaire and author MacKenzie Scott revealed $7.1 billion in donations to nonprofits Tuesday, bringing her overall giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion.

Waymo's self-driving taxis have been in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons.

USA Today's editor in chief, Caren Bohan, is out of the job she's held for a little more than a year.

Mega billionaire Elon Musk said his efforts leading the Department of Government Efficiency were only “somewhat successful” and he would not do it over again.

CBS says Tony Dokoupil will take over at the beginning of next year as anchor of its flagship “CBS Evening News” broadcast.

Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 says it has taken control of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo.

If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, the remaining weeks of December could be a great time to buy.

Paramount Skydance says that the Chinese gaming and social media giant Tencent Holdings withdrew from its bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery to avert a national security review.

President Donald Trump’s push for the largest mass deportation in history has had an outsized impact on the child care field, which is heavily reliant on immigrants and already strained by a worker shortage.

Southeast Asia is embracing the embattled offshore wind industry as it reels from U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of renewable energy.

The U.S. stock market neared its all-time high after the Federal Reserve cut its main interest rate to bolster the job market, and hopes strengthened for more cuts to come in 2026.

The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months.

A to-do list and travel plans found during Luigi Mangione’s arrest and revealed in court this week shed new light on the steps he may have taken — or planned to take — to avoid capture after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing last year.

Cracker Barrel posted lower-than-expected sales in its fiscal first quarter and lowered its revenue forecast for the year as it continued to feel the fallout from a botched plan to revamp its logo and restaurants.

The Environmental Protection Agency has removed references to fossil fuels from its online page about climate change causes.

Rejoice, New Year’s dieters: Oreos are getting a sugar-free option.

The author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott revealed $7.1 billion in donations to nonprofits in 2025 Tuesday, marking a significant increase in her annual giving from recent years.

OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue.

Paired with high-deductible healthcare plans, health savings accounts help ease healthcare costs.

Investors have a valuable escape hatch if their employer-provided HSA comes up short.

U.S. job openings barely budged in October, coming in at 7.7 million amid uncertainty over the direction of the American economy.

Microsoft has announced its largest-ever Asia investment of $17.5 billion in India to enhance cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next four years.

A unique app is changing the dating game for disabled and chronically ill people.

The European Union is investigating Google for potential antitrust violations related to its AI models.

Australia has introduced a world-first social media ban for children under 16, starting Wednesday.

The most comprehensive global environment assessment ever undertaken calls for a new approach to jointly tackle the most pressing environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity loss that threaten over 1 million plant and animal species with extinction.

Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš has been sworn in as the Czech Republic’s new prime minister following October’s parliamentary election.

The International Monetary Fund says it has approved the release of $1.2 billion to Pakistan, giving the cash-strapped country a fresh boost as it works to recover from one of its worst economic crises in years.

At a nighttime event in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on combating inflation, although the issue couldn't quite command his full attention.

U.S. stocks largely held in place as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say about interest rates.

A Beijing court has ruled Malaysia Airlines must pay $410,000 each to the families of eight passengers who went missing in the disappearance of Flight 370 more than a decade ago.

A federal judge has struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

PepsiCo plans to cut prices and eliminate some of its products under a deal with an activist investor announced Monday.

It's a tough time for CNN, which looks like it will be in management limbo for some time with Paramount Skydance's hostile takeover bid of its parent company, Warner Bros.

The Federal Reserve faces an unusually contentious meeting this week that will test Chair Jerome Powell’s ability to corral the necessary support from fellow policymakers for a third straight interest rate cut.

More people are turning to GoFundMe for help with basic needs such as housing and food.

President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China.

Incoming Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel is assembling his team to help him lead the conglomerate Warren Buffett built starting in January after a couple of key departures.

President Donald Trump won't be getting his wish, at least not soon.

Warner Bros.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he has divested from his North Dakota soybean farmland.

The maker of an iPhone app that flagged sightings of U.S. immigration agents has sued the Trump administration for free speech violations.

The Golden Globes have introduced a best podcast category that's likely to spark conversations.

Paramount has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros.

IBM has announced it's acquiring data streaming platform Confluent in an $11 billion deal.

Angry farmers protesting delays in the payment of subsidies have swarmed onto an airport tarmac on the southern Greek island of Crete.

Michael R.

An official says the airspace over Yemen was briefly closed as tensions rose in the south of the country.

House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act.

President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros.

U.S. stocks pulled away from their record heights.

The Supreme Court seems likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is waiving part of a fine assessed against Southwest Airlines after the company canceled thousands of flights during a winter storm in 2022.

Police in Edmonton, Canada, have started a pilot project using AI-equipped body cameras to detect faces on a "high risk" watch list.

Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday.

Chief Justice John Roberts has led the Supreme Court’s conservative majority on a steady march of increasing the power of the presidency.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into whether U.S. airlines complied with an emergency order to cut flights at 40 major airports during the recent government shutdown.

Vanity Fair is parting ways with West Coast editor Olivia Nuzzi amid controversy over her past coverage of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A statement Friday from Nuzzi and the magazine says they have mutually agreed to let her contract expire at the end of the year.

The nation’s freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.