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Theres a chill in the airand not just from the weather. A newly arrived La Nia pattern is setting the stage for a potentially wild winter, with experts predicting snow-packed northern states, a drier South, and maybe even more late-season hurricanes. Meanwhile, markets caught their own cold snap after fresh U.S.China trade tensions sparked a global sell-off. Still, not all the weeks headlines were gloomy. Uniqlo is going on a U.S. growth spree with 11 new stores planned for next year. But other industries are feeling the squeezefrom whiskey makers battling tariffs and falling demand, to airlines struggling through a government shutdown thats leaving thousands of flights delayed. Throw in a nationwide Listeria pasta recall, a soda study that might make you rethink your next Diet Coke, and the threat of delayed Social Security paymentsand its safe to say this week had something for everyone. Heres a look at what made headlines: La Nia Is Backand Winter Might Get Weird The National Weather Service says La Nia officially kicked in last month, bringing cooler Pacific waters that tend to shake up global weather patterns. Expect snowier-than-normal conditions across the northern U.S. and drier, warmer weather down South. It could also mean more hurricane activity into late fall, even though experts are calling this a weak La Nia. Uniqlo Bets Big on Brick-and-Mortar The Japanese clothing brand known for minimalist staples is going on a U.S. expansion tear. Uniqlo will open 11 new stores next year, including four in New York City and new flagships in Chicago and San Francisco. The move bucks the trend of retailers downsizing as shoppers cut backproof that Fast Retailing, Uniqlos parent company, sees plenty of life left in American retail. Markets Tank After Trumps Tariff Threats Stocks took a nosedive this week after President Trump reignited his trade feud with China, threatening a massive increase in tariffs. Beijings new export controls on rare earth minerals hit tech and defense sectors hardbut ironically sent U.S. rare-earth companies like MP Materials and USA Rare Earth soaring before they cooled off. Crypto investors didnt fare as well, with nearly $125 billion wiped out in a single day. Whiskey Country Feels the Burn Americas whiskey makers are facing a hangover thats about a lot more than tariffs. Spirits exports fell 9% in the second quarter according to the Distilled Spirits Council, and domestic drinking is down to its lowest level in decades. Distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee are cutting jobs or closing doors, while smaller producers struggle to stay solvent. Your Daily Soda Habit Could Be Hurting Your Liver A new European study suggests that even one can of soda a dayregular or dietcould raise your risk of liver disease by up to 60%. Both sugary and artificially sweetened drinks were linked to fat buildup in the liver and other metabolic issues. Researchers say the safest bet is to skip the fizz and stick with water, no matter how tempting that afternoon “fridge cigarette” sounds. Flight Delays Pile Up During Shutdown If youre flying anytime soon, brace yourself. More than 16,000 flights have been delayed this week as the government shutdown drags on. Air traffic controllers and TSA agents are working unpaid, and airports from Chicago to D.C. are feeling the pinch. With a long weekend ahead, experts say to double-check your flight before leaving for the airportand maybe pack some patience. Kroger Joins the Pasta Recall Parade Kroger is pulling two pasta saladsBasil Pesto Bowtie and Smoked Mozzarella Pennefrom shelves after possible Listeria contamination. The recall affects stores in more than two dozen states and follows similar moves by Walmart, Trader Joes, and Albertsons. At least 19 people have been hospitalized and four have died in a multi-state outbreak linked to ready-to-eat pasta meals. Social Security COLA Bump Could Be Delayed Yes, Social Security checks are still going outbut next years cost-of-living increase may be stuck in limbo. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which calculates the inflation data needed for the 2026 adjustment, is mostly furloughed during the shutdown. Without those numbers, the SSA cant finalize the expected 2.7% boost in monthly benefits, leaving retirees waiting for answers.
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E-Commerce
If you’ve ever been startled while watching a show on a streaming service that was interrupted by an unreasonably loud commercial and thought to yourself, that should be illegal, soon it will be. At least in California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed a bipartisan bill into law that bans video streaming services that serve customers in the state from airing audio of commercial advertisements that are louder than the video content it accompanies. It goes into effect July 1, 2026. “We heard Californians loud and clear, and whats clear is that they dont want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program,” Newsom said in a statement about the legislation, SB 576. The bill was introduced because of a baby. California state Sen. Thomas Umberg, an Orange County Democrat, said he sponsored the bill because of the daughter of his legislative director, a baby named Samantha who was finally put to bed one night only to be woken up by a much louder commercial. “This bill was inspired by baby Samantha and every exhausted parent whos finally gotten a baby to sleep, only to have a blaring streaming ad undo all that hard work,” Umberg said in a statement. The California law is patterned after federal law, extending the rules of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act to streamers in the state. The 2010 CALM Act was passed by Congress and mandates commercials have the same average volume as the programs they accompany, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The CALM Act was also meeting a real demand. A 2010 Harris poll found 86% of respondents believed commercials were louder than shows. The law only applies to TV commercials, though, not commercials on streaming platforms, radio, or internet. The CALM Modernization Act, which would have extended the rules to streamers, was introduced in 2023 by a pair of Senate Democrats, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, but it never got a vote. Even if your state passes similar legislation, be warned: the commercials may still sound louder, and there’s a reason why. That’s because even if commercials can’t be louder on average than the programs they accompany, they are trying to be as loud as they legally can to capture your attention in the 30 short seconds or less they have you. In other words, while a TV show might have its loud moments for effect here and there throughout a program, it’s not yelling at you the whole time like a commercial might. “Most TV commercials are created to be loud simply so you can hear the advertisement and get your attention,” Sony says on a support page for handling loud commercials. “[I]f you are watching a program with soft dialog, when the program cuts to a commercial you will most likely hear a boost or fluctuation in the volume.” California’s new law will be welcome news to parents across the Golden State, but if you’re really worried about waking your baby during commercial breaks in a Hulu binge session, subtitles could be your best bet.
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E-Commerce
When the federal government shutdown on October 1, it started a chain reaction of income problems for federal workers. Roughly 900,000 government employees are now on furlough. Another 700,000 are working without pay because their jobs are too critical for them to stay home. To add insult to entirely preventable injury, the current administration has indicated that it may not provide the legally mandated back pay to these workers once the shutdown is over. Considering the fact that getting another job during the furlough may require the government employees agency approval (and wouldnt help critical employees working without a paycheck), the shutdown could be a personal financial disaster for hundreds of thousands of Americans. Only 1.8% of all American workers have Uncle Sam for a bossbut that doesnt mean the other 98.2% of us are exempt from furloughs, sudden income loss, or bizarre grandstanding from unrelated departments that lead to you coming in to work for no pay for weeks on end. (Well, maybe not that last one.) Thats why its so important for all workers to know these financial strategies that can help you safely get to the other side of income loss: Calculate your bare minimum budget If you havent done so before your income loss, sit down and figure out your baseline monthly expenses. These are the expenditures that are essential for maintaining your life, such as rent or mortgage payment, utility bills, groceries, transportation, and childcare. Generally, this is a relatively easy number to calculate. Start with your fixed expenses, like your rent and childcare, and estimate your fluctuating expenses like groceries and utility bills, by calculating the average cost over the past six to 12 months. The number you come up with is your bare minimum monthly budget, and it gives you a framework for figuring out how to live sustainably while your income is paused. Contact your creditors If you are carrying credit card debt, student loans, or other debts, contact your creditors to find out if there are ways to pause payments or reduce your monthly payment requirements during the period of income loss. While this will generally increase the amount you owe over time, it can give you the breathing room you need in the moment, and reduce your bare-minimum monthly budget number. Determine if youre eligible for unemployment Furloughed government employees (as well as furloughed private sector workers) may be eligible for unemployment benefits, depending on local and state regulations. Unemployment benefits are generally based on your past earning history and most benefits are limited to 26 weeks. Each state has a minimum and maximum weekly benefit amount for unemployment benefits. For example, in Wisconsin, the minimum weekly unemployment benefit a Cheesehead could receive is $54 and the maximum is $370. These amounts vary greatly from state to state, with Massachusetts boasting the highest weekly maximum at $1,033 and Puerto Rico having the lowest maximum benefit at $190 per week. Unemployment benefits are not available for all types of income loss. Going on strike, having to work without pay (as current excepted government workers are doing), or getting fired for cause would make you ineligible for unemployment benefits. But if you can collect unemployment, these benefits can help keep you afloat until your income resumes. Compare your savings (or unemployment benefits) to your needs Assuming you have savings set aside, you can compare it to your monthly minimum number to determine how many months you can afford to go without your income. In an ideal world, you will have an emergency fund equal to three- to six-months worth of living expenses. That should help you feel more confident about your income loss, since you know you can weather quite a long period without it. Unfortunately, only 46% of Americans have enough savings set aside to cover three months worth of expenses according to a 2025 Bankrate report. If you dont have a robust savings account (or any at all), and youre eligible for unemployment benefits, you can alternatively make the same type of comparison between your monthly minimum number and your potential unemployment checks. Figure out alternative income sources Depending on which agency they work forand if theyre still clocking into a job theyre not getting paid forfederal employees may not be able to take on alternative employment while waiting out the shutdown. But that doesnt mean theyre out of luck for finding other sources of income. For example, a furloughed employee might make a list of things theyre willing to sell and create a schedule for selling them. Having a schedule gives them more time to get the best prices for those items and also provide a sense of security about where next months money will come from because theres a plan in place. Other options include renting out a room in your house or selling your services as a freelancer. Any options for keeping some money coming in while waiting for your primary income to resume can help relieve your financial stress during the shutdown. Dont let the shutdown keep you down Losing your income through no fault of your own feels infuriating and demoralizing, especially if you have no idea when to expect its return. But calculating the minimum you need to maintain your lifestyle can help you feel more in control. From there, you can ask for some breathing room from your creditors and determine if youre eligible for unemployment. Then look at how long your savings and unemployment benefits can sustain you. To make sure the process can last as long as the current political temper tantrum, make a plan for alternative sources of income that you can implement as needed. All this together creates a blueprint for surviving and thriving through income loss, even if it stretches on for a long time.
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E-Commerce
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