Business and Economic News

St. Louis Park autonomous vehicle takes off for California
St. Louis Park company VSI Labs has equipped a 2018 Ford Fusion with the latest technology for automated driving. On Tuesday, the company had three employees hop inside for a four-day, 2,000-mile cross-country ride while letting the car do the driving.
The case for summer vacation
Economists have long criticized summer vacation as economically inefficient. But one has come to its defense.
White House insists 'fundamentals' of U.S. economy are strong
The "fundamentals" of the U.S. economy are solid, the White House asserted, invoking an ill-fated political declaration of a decade ago amid mounting concern that a recession could imperil President Donald Trump's reelection.
Britain's Boris Johnson appeals to EU to drop 'Irish backstop' demand
The prime minister, in a letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk, calls the backstop deal reached by his predecessor "anti-democratic and inconsistent with the sovereignty of the U.K."
Trump dismisses recession fears, saying fed must help the economy
The Trump administration pushed back hard against warnings of an economic slowdown. But the president is also calling on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates again to help boost growth.
First day of security line changes at MSP Airport causes confusion
A construction project has shrunk the space at the south checkpoint in Terminal 1. As a result, Transportation Security Administration and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport officials have made the south checkpoint TSA Precheck only.
Economists survey: 34 percent expect a U.S. recession in 2021
A number of U.S. business economists appear sufficiently concerned about the risks of some of President Trump's economic policies that they expect a recession in the U.S. by the end of 2021.
Xcel Energy expanding use of drones to inspect power lines
Xcel Energy has received federal approval to significantly expand the use of drones to inspect power lines in Minnesota, North Dakota and several other states.
Leaked Brexit document depicts government fears of gridlock, food shortages, unrest
A government source told the Sunday Times, which obtained the document, that "this is the most realistic assessment of what the public (will) face with no deal. These are likely, basic, reasonable scenarios — not the worst case."
Trump economic adviser plays down fears of looming recession
President Trump's top economic adviser is playing down fears of a looming recession after last week's sharp drop in the financial markets, and predicting the economy will perform well in the second half of 2019.