The economy added 206,000 jobs last month, according to fresh government data, but unemployment inched above 4% for the first time in over two years. The June jobs report, released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed somewhat hotter hiring than the 200,000 nonfarm job gains economists had expected. That marked a slowdown since May, whose level was ...

This is part of NBC News’ Checkbook Chronicles, a series of profiles highlighting the financial realities of everyday Americans. Becky Melvin can usually be found on her phone — but not for the reasons many other Americans are. Melvin, 61, of the Jacksonville, Florida, area, was laid off from a nearly six-figure public relations job in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019. Since ...

This is part of NBC News’ Checkbook Chronicles, a series of profiles highlighting the financial realities of everyday Americans. Stefanie Longenecker would love to take advantage of rising wages, a strong job market and the master’s degree she’s still paying off. But she has been sidelined from the workforce by a child care system that has grown inaccessible for many ...

Americans will be splashing around this summer in the backyard pools they’ve already got, but not splashing out as much on new ones.  Swimming pool installations were part of the home improvement frenzy that swept the country during the pandemic as Americans were stuck at home. But recent signs show demand is slowing as households with spending money shift it ...

Record summer air travel demand isn’t translating to record U.S. airline profits. Carriers will have to answer for that disconnect when they report quarterly results this month. Some airlines have forecast record demand, and in some cases, revenue. On Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3 million people, a one-day record. But higher labor and other costs have eaten into airlines’ ...

Target will soon stop accepting personal checks as a form of payment at checkout. In a statement to NBC News, the retail giant said it was committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience — but that due to ‘extremely low volumes,’ it would no longer take personal checks starting July 15. It said it has taken several measures to ...

A pill for couples struggling to conceive with IVF treatment has been found to increase the chances of pregnancy, scientists say. Researchers said initial trials of the drug – known as OXO-001 and created by Spanish biotech company Oxolife – showed “promising” results. It acts directly on the inner lining of the womb to improve the embryo implantation process during ...

NASA volunteers who spent over a year in a simulated Mars bunker have completed their mission. After 378 days in a 3D-printed, Mars-imitation bunker in Texas, Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones were set free Saturday around 10pm UK time. Speaking at a news conference after they were allowed back into the world, Ms Selariu said bringing ...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized his negotiators to enter into detailed negotiations to try and broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, an Israeli official and a source familiar with the negotiations said. The decision signals that Israel and Hamas are entering a new phase of negotiations that could produce a final deal within a matter ...

Hezbollah said that it fired more than 200 missiles at Israeli military sites in retaliation for the killing of one of its senior commanders in southern Lebanon. Muhammed Neamah Naser, a commander in Hezbollah’s Aziz Unit, was “eliminated” on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, blaming him for directing terror attacks both before and after Hamas’ October 7 attacks ...