WASHINGTON DC - Michigan drivers heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend could soon face gasoline prices approaching $5 per gallon as the escalating Iran conflict rattles global oil markets and raises fears of prolonged supply disruptions through one of the world’s most important energy corridors. The national average price for regular gasoline has climbed
WASHINGTON DC - The United States national debt is rapidly approaching an almost unimaginable milestone: $39 trillion. The number is so enormous that economists, policymakers and ordinary Americans alike often struggle to truly grasp what it represents. A trillion dollars is not merely “a lot of money.” It is wealth on a scale that defies
LANSING - For decades, Michigan feared factory layoffs. Now economists, technology executives and workforce experts increasingly warn the next major employment disruption may hit office workers instead. Artificial intelligence is beginning to automate tasks once performed by accountants, programmers, marketing specialists, administrative assistants, customer service representatives, analysts and even some engineers — and some of
ANN ARBOR - For decades, white collar workers believed college degrees and office careers offered protection from the economic disruption that devastated factory towns across the Midwest. Automation was supposed to threaten assembly lines — not office cubicles. But economists, labor researchers and major national publications are increasingly warning that artificial intelligence could reshape professional
WASHINGTON DC - Americans are beginning to feel the cost of the U.S. war with Iran in two places that matter most: at the gas pump and in their investment accounts. Gas prices that hovered around $3.25 just weeks ago are now pushing toward $4.50 in parts of the country, including Michigan, as global oil
ANN ARBOR — Americans are sending a mixed economic signal: they don’t trust the national economy, but they still believe in their own ability to navigate it. That’s the central finding from a new study by Appinio, which reveals a widening gap between national pessimism and personal financial confidence. While 47% of Americans rate the
DETROIT — New car prices are rising again in the United States, but this time the pressure is coming from multiple directions at once — and Michigan sits directly in the crosshairs. A combination of import tariffs, supply chain costs, and now a global oil shock tied to the Iran conflict is pushing vehicle prices
LANSING — A massive $4.3 billion battery plant in Michigan was supposed to help power the next generation of electric vehicles. Now, it may be powering something else entirely. Michigan power grid AI demand is rising as Tesla’s Michigan battery pivot signals a shift beyond electric vehicles. As a result, energy storage is becoming central
WASHINGTON DC — The United States is heading toward a fiscal reality that’s easy to understand—but hard to fix. Imagine a family that maxes out its credit cards—then reaches a point where it’s spending more on interest payments than on groceries. That’s where the federal government is headed. Within the next decade, the U.S. is
ANN ARBOR - Artificial intelligence may be quietly eliminating the first rung on the career ladder — and the impact could soon be felt across Michigan’s economy. A new national survey from Resume.org finds that 21 percent of companies have already stopped hiring entry-level workers because of AI, while 36 percent expect to stop hiring
