Author: Reporter

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it has come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawnmowers. Auto club AAA said in a travel forecast that this holiday weekend could be “one for the record books, especially at airports,” with more than 42 million Americans projected to travel 50 miles or more. Federal officials said that the number of air travelers had already hit a pandemic-era high. But for Manuel Castañeda Jr., 58, the day will be a quiet one...

President Joe Biden said in early May that his administration would write new regulations that will require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline’s control. The compensation would be in addition to ticket refunds when the airline is at fault for a flight being canceled or significantly delayed. It would give consumers in the United States protections similar to those in the European Union. “I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” Biden said. “That’s why...

U.S. Senate and House members proposed a new no-fly list for unruly passengers in late March, an idea that was pushed by airline unions but failed to gain traction last year. The legislation would let the Transportation Security Administration ban people convicted or fined for assaulting or interfering with airline crew members. It would be separate from the current FBI-run no-fly list, which is intended to prevent people suspected of terrorism ties from boarding planes. The number of incidents involving unruly passengers dropped sharply last year after a judge struck down a federal requirement to wear masks on planes....

A passenger walks up to an airport security checkpoint, slips an ID card into a slot and looks into a camera atop a small screen. The screen flashes “Photo Complete” and the person walks through, all without having to hand over their identification to the TSA officer sitting behind the screen. It is all part of a pilot project by the Transportation Security Administration to assess the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country. “What we are trying to do with this is aid the officers to actually determine that you are who...

As the federal government cracks down on child labor violations, some state lawmakers are embracing legislation to let children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations. The legislators, mostly Republicans, argue that relaxing child labor laws could ease nationwide labor shortages. But child welfare advocates worry the measures represent a coordinated push to scale back hard-won protections for minors. “The consequences are potentially disastrous,” said Reid Maki, director of the Child Labor Coalition, which advocates against exploitative labor policies. “You can’t balance a perceived labor shortage on the backs of teen workers.” Lawmakers proposed loosening child labor laws...

On the 31st floor of what was once a towering office building in downtown Manhattan, construction workers lay down steel bracing for what will soon anchor a host of residential amenities: a catering station, lounge, fire pit, and gas grills. The building, empty since 2021, is being converted to 588 market-rate rental apartments that will house about 1,000 people. “We’re taking a vacant building and pouring life not only into this building, but this entire neighborhood,” said Joey Chilelli, managing director of real estate firm Vanbarton Group, which is doing the conversion. Across the country, office-to-housing conversions are being...