Ultium Cells battery plant in Tenn. joins UAW
A majority of the 1,000 workers at the plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., operated by a joint venture between GM and LG, signed cards in favor of joining the union.
Meet the aerospace engineer helping guide Honda Racing Corp. USA's future
It’s a notable time at Honda Racing both in the U.S. and in Japan. Honda will supply engines and partner with Aston Martin’s Formula One team starting in 2026.
US job openings fall as demand for workers weakens
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers posted fewer job openings in July than they had the previous month, a sign that hiring could cool in the coming months.
The Labor Department reported Wednesday that there were 7.7 million open jobs in July, down from 7.9 million in June and the fewest since January 2021. Openings have fallen steadily this year, from nearly 8.8 million in January.
Layoffs also rose to 1.76 million, the most since March 2023, though that level of job cuts is roughly consistent with pre-pandemic levels, when the unemployment rate was historically low. Layoffs have been unusually low since the pandemic as many employers have sought to hold onto their workers.
Overall, Wednesday’s report painted a mixed picture of the job market. On the positive side, total hiring rose in July, to 5.5 million, after it had fallen to a four-year low of 5.2 million in June. And the number of people who quit their jobs ticked up slightly, to about 3.3 million. The number of quits is seen as a measure of the job market’s health: Workers typically quit when they already have a new job or when they’re confident they can find one.
Blue Origin set to test fire New Glenn stage at Canaveral launch pad
Blue Origin has only 40 days to go to be ready for its first launch of its heavy lift New Glenn rocket, but has a lot of boxes to tick before liftoff.
That includes a test fire in the coming days of the rocket’s second stage, which the company rolled out to the pad Tuesday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36.
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company is targeting Oct. 13 for liftoff of NG-1, a mission to send a pair of satellites built by fellow rocket company RocketLab on a mission for NASA to Mars called ESCAPADE, which stands for Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers.
“We’re looking forward to firing up those two BE-3Us on New Glenn’s second stage in a few days,” the company posted on X after the hardware’s trip to the pad.
When it launches, the second stage and its engines will be tasked with deploying the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft on an 11-month trip to the Red Planet where they will study Mars’ plasma and magnetic fields.
The launch, though, will be the culmination of years of development for New Glenn, which is constructed at Blue Origin’s nearby factory on Merritt Island.
Volvo cashes in on hybrid hype with updated XC90 crossover
The 2025 Volvo XC90, which has mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, sports styling cues from its new battery-powered sibling.