Former professionals are stocking shelves at grocery stores and retirees are struggling with rising costs. Since 2008, the number of people who call themselves middle class has fallen by nearly a fifth, according to a survey in January by the Pew Research Center, from 53 percent to 44 percent. WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers accused General Motors of a potentially criminal cover-up of its defective ignition switches and fumed at the lack of answers from its new CEO during a second day of hearings Wednesday into why the automaker waited a decade to recall cars with a deadly flaw. The Senate subcommittee said GM should tell owners of the 2.6 million recalled cars to stop driving them until they are repaired. CEO Mary Barra gave assurances that the cars are safe to use while owners wait for the replacement part, saying she would let her son drive one if he took certain precautions. BRUSSELS (AP) — The United States and European Union on Wednesday sought ways to reduce the political clout Russia gets from its vast energy reserves by promising to wean Ukraine and the rest of the continent off those supplies. In the wake of Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Europe's dependency on Russian energy became a political liability as it undermined its ability to stand up to Moscow. WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey shows that U.S. companies increased hiring at a healthy pace last month, suggesting that the jobs market is recovering from a brutal winter. When Keating's Phoenix-based home construction company, American Continental Corp., bought Lincoln Savings & Loan in 1984, the multimillionaire elevated its worth from $1.1 billion to $5.5 billion in a four-year period. WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first tablet for gradually reducing hay fever allergy symptoms, an alternative to uncomfortable allergy-desensitizing shots. NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon wants to make its way into living rooms with Amazon Fire TV, a new set-top box that allows streaming of online video, music and other content to televisions. The device, about the size of a CD case, runs Google's Android operating system and offers Netflix, Hulu and other streaming channels in addition to Amazon Prime instant video. Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of oil, dropped 83 cents to $104.79 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 2 hours ago.
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