Government shutdown could be the longest ever, House Speaker Johnson warns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicts the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history. He says he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen the government. It's the 13th day of the shutdown and the closures are taking a toll nationwide, halting routine government operations, shuttering the Smithsonian museums and other landmark cultural institutions and leaving airports scrambling with flight disruptions. It's all injecting more uncertainty into an already precarious economy. The White House ensured military troops and the Coast Guard are paid. But the Trump administration is firing other federal workers.

Uncertainty over the economy and tariffs forces many retailers to be cautious on holiday hiring

NEW YORK (AP) — Rising tariff costs and other economic factors are forcing retailers to pull back or even delay their plans to hire seasonal workers. These temp workers typically pack orders at distribution centers, serve shoppers at stores and build holiday displays during the most important selling season of the year. A job placement firm forecasts that hiring for the last three months of the year will likely fall to its lowest level since the 2009 recession, or fewer than 500,000 positions. That’s fewer than last year’s 543,000 temp jobs. The average seasonal gain since 2005 has been 653,363 workers.

New York Times, AP, Newsmax among news outlets who say they won't sign new Pentagon rules

The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative television network Newsmax are among five outlets on Monday who say they won't sign a new Defense Department document about its new press rules. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's team has said that reporters who don't sign onto their new rules will be thrown out of the Pentagon on Wednesday if they don't agree. The new rules declare large swaths of the  Pentagon off-limits to reporters and declares that journalists who report information not formally approved by Hegseth's team risk getting their access revoked. The Pentagon says the rules are “common sense.” Journalists say they punish routine newsgathering.

Asian shares are mixed and US futures little changed after Wall St rally

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are trading mixed after a rally on Wall Street spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump's reassurances over relations with China. Trump wrote on his social media site, “Don’t worry about China,” just days after he sent markets reeling by threatening much higher tariffs on imports from China. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell while stocks in Shanghai advanced. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped as trading resumed following a national holiday. On Monday, On Wall Street, the S&P 500 jumped 1.6% to recover more than half its drop from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.3% and the Nasdaq composite gained 2.2%. Oil prices edged higher.

OpenAI partners with Broadcom to design its own AI chips

OpenAI has announced a collaboration with chipmaker Broadcom to design its own AI computer chips. The companies plan to start deploying customized "AI accelerators" next year. The deal marks the latest between OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and the companies building the chips and data centers required to power AI. Broadcom shares surged more than 9% on Monday after the morning announcement. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the work with Broadcom to develop a custom chip began about 18 months ago.

JPMorgan to invest up to $10 billion in US companies with crucial ties to national security

JPMorgan Chase will directly invest up to $10 billion in U.S. companies with crucial ties to national security. The investment is part of the bank’s Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries critical to national economic security. The investment plan revealed Monday will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing in critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; defense and aerospace; energy independence, with investments in battery storage and grid resilience; and strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing.

Wall Street veers upward after Trump softens his criticism of China

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied and recovered more than half of their sell-off from Friday. The S&P 500 jumped 1.6% Monday for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 587 points, and the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%. The indexes rose after President Donald Trump softened his criticism of China, just a couple days after he shocked the market by threatening much higher tariffs on the world’s second-largest economy. Continued excitement about artificial-intelligence technology also helped drive the market, and Broadcom helped lead the way. Bond trading was closed in the U.S. for a holiday.

Nations meet to consider regulations to drive a green transition in shipping

Maritime nations are meeting in London to discuss regulations that could shift the shipping industry away from fossil fuels. If adopted, this would be the first global fee on greenhouse gas emissions. Ships currently use heavy fuel oil, which releases significant pollutants. The meeting at the International Maritime Organization headquarters will continue through Friday. The Trump administration opposes the proposal, threatening retaliation. The regulations aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They would impose fees on ships exceeding emission limits and reward low-emission ships. The rules could generate billions in revenue for green shipping technologies.

SpaceX launches the 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket with another win

SpaceX has launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight. The 403-foot Starship thundered into the evening sky Monday from Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending into the Indian Ocean. It's similar to the previous test flight in August, which scored a success following a string of explosive failures. SpaceX's Elon Musk intends to use Starship to send people to Mars. NASA cannot land astronauts on the moon by decade's end without Starship.

China shows no sign of backing down while issuing call for US to withdraw tariff threat

BANGKOK (AP) — China has called for the U.S. to withdraw a new threat of a 100% tariff and other export control measures. The statement Monday came after President Donald Trump announced the new tariff threat in the latest escalation of the ongoing trade war. Trump issued a 100% tariff threat on all Chinese imports into the U.S. China last week placed stricter restrictions on rare earths, which is a vital resource used in electronics. Trump on Sunday did not withdraw his tariff threat but seemed more conciliatory. The latest economic indicators show the retaliatory actions and uncertainty is having an impact on existing trade between the two nations.