Rescue workers and forensic investigators inspect the bodies of victims of a Ukrainian plane crash. Iran has formally invited the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board to take part in its investigation into the crash of a Ukrainian jetliner and the U.S. agency has agreed to assign an investigator, an Iranian official said on Thursday. “The NTSB has replied to our chief investigator and has announced an accredited representative,” Farhad Parvaresh, Iran’s representative at the International C

WASHINGTON — Iran’s missile strikes this week on two Iraqi military bases and suspected role in the takedown of a Ukraine-bound passenger jet, stand as examples of Tehran’s ballistic missile capability. Iran, which boasts one of the largest and most diverse missile portfolios in the Middle East, uses its arsenal to project power throughout the region. “Iran’s missile arsenal is their relative strength to reach out and touch or hold at risk various targets,” Thomas Karako, director of the Missile

Economists expect December’s employment report to show a solid pace of job growth and steady wage gains, but some economists say the report could contain an upside surprise or two. Taco Bell, for example, on Thursday said it plans to pay managers $100,000 a year at some company-owned locations, starting later this year. But economists say both the headline payroll number and wage growth could be above the consensus forecast because the economy has been a bit stronger than expected. Wages for non

Trump also wanted Ukraine to investigate a debunked conspiracy theory that alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Speaking on Thursday, Trump also said he would not object to his former national security advisor, John Bolton, testifying in a Senate trial. Bolton was present for many of the key moments in U.S.-Ukraine relations over the past year, and if witnesses were to be permitted at a Senate trial, Bolton would likely be at the top of any Democratic witness li

A help wanted sign is displayed in the window of a Brooklyn business in New York. That would be a slowdown from November, when the economy added 266,000 jobs with an unemployment rate of 3.5%. November’s jobs growth was boosted by a rise in manufacturing employment, due partially to the end of a strike by the United Automobile Workers. The manufacturing sector as a whole added 53,000 jobs in November, with health care sector and the leisure and hospitality sector each adding 45,000. Mining was t

The decreasing tensions between Iran and the U.S. allowed stocks to resume the bullish trajectory they’ve taken for the better part of a year. They also allowed investors to turn their attention to strong employment data. The Labor Department said Thursday weekly jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 214,000. Wall Street was also feeling optimistic about next week’s signing of the “Phase One” U.S.-China trade deal. Barring another flare-up between Iran and the U.S., stocks could continue to rip higher

Staffers for Andrew Yang announced Thursday that they have joined the Campaign Workers Guild, the most recent campaign unionization effort among the 2020 Democratic candidates for president. Yang is the latest Democratic candidate who has recognized a decision to unionize from campaign staffers. Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro and California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who both dropped their bids for president, had also recognized their campaign workers’ unions. In the latest round of campaign fi

Billionaire media mogul Barry Diller told CNBC on Thursday that he believes the U.S. should not have paid political advertising. “What this country should do is get rid of all advertising for politics,” the IAC chairman said on “Closing Bell.” But candidates generally have to agree to certain restrictions, such as spending limits, which is why Obama said he opted against taking public money. Lamenting the influence of money in politics, Diller said elected officials shouldn’t have to spend signi

Oil prices ticked lower on Thursday after the previous session’s sharp losses on the back of swelling U.S. crude stocks and easing fears of imminent escalation of conflict between the United States and Iran. Crude oil stocks were up 1.2 million barrels in the week ended Jan. 3 at 431.1 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected a drop of 3.6 million barrels. Top oil producers led by Saudi Arabia have agreed to reduce output b

Single women are losing out in the housing market whether they are buying or selling, according to a recent study from Kelly Shue and Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham of the Yale School of Management. “We find that women purchase properties when they are listed at higher relative prices, and also choose to list for lower relative prices,” write the researchers. When women lose in the housing market, it impacts their ability to save for retirement and reach other financial goals, too. The longer that the h

The two were prohibited from earning a professional income as senior members of the Royal Family and want to do so. Prince Harry and Markle received 5% of the Grant, which was specifically used for their “official office expense.” Prince Harry served in the British Army for 10 years, and as a helicopter pilot for the Army Air Corps, he received around $50,000 a year, according to Forbes. Still, “the couple’s financial decisions going forward will be complicated, as there has been criticism of ju

“I wish every season ended in a win, but that’s not the nature of sports (or life). On Wednesday, Brady took to Instagram to thank his fans and talk about what success means to him — and it has nothing to do with winning football games. Tom Brady is done reeling after the New England Patriots’ devastating loss on Saturday to the Tennessee Titans, dashing Brady’s hopes for a chance at a seventh Super Bowl win. Because I know I still have more to prove,” Brady said, addressing rumors of his possib

Mercedes-Benz thinks the future of autonomous driving could look a lot like a 10-year-old movie. The German luxury automaker unveiled a unique new concept car, which is influenced by the 2009 blockbuster sci-fi movie “Avatar” and designed with the input of Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Called the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR, the futuristic concept car is meant to be both sustainable and autonomous. The car feature

At a Whole Foods Market grocery store in San Ramon, California, signage advertises new discounts for Amazon Prime members. Facebook and Google are among the best bets among internet stocks, but slowing retail growth and regulatory issues should make investors cautious about Amazon, investment firm Bernstein said in note Thursday. Bernstein initiated coverage of Facebook, Uber, Snap, and Google’s parent company Alphabet with outperform ratings in its new note looking at internet stocks. Twitter w

5G is really confusing because there are three different versions of it that are being built. The four major U.S. wireless companies — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint — all have their own plans for how to build out 5G to their customer bases. Here’s the cocktail conversation summary:mmWave high-band 5G : T-Mobile (a little), AT&T and Verizon. Low-band 5G: T-Mobile/AT&T. But PCMag says that you have to stay within 80 feet of a tower or transmitter to get those speeds.

Mark Zuckerberg expects to see massive progress in augmented reality technology over the next 10 years. Among his predictions, he said augmented reality will finally break out this decade. Augmented reality (or AR) is technology that lets users place digital objects on top of the real world. Facebook has been pushing to get into the business of virtual reality and AR hardware since its 2014 acquisition of virtual reality pioneer Oculus VR for $2 billion. It has released several versions of Oculu

Andy and Nicole Hill bought their dream home just outside of Detroit at the end of 2013. The Hills, both 37, made their first payment on the $195,000 mortgage in January 2014 and their final payment in November 2017. To stay on track, the couple and their two kids made saving money a family event by hosting regular budget parties to eat pizza and plan out their monthly budgets. Check out this video to see exactly how the couple budgeted their money, other techniques they used and what they plan

The House passed a resolution Thursday to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers against Iran as the president aims to navigate sharp tensions in the Middle East. The measure calls for Trump to stop military force against Iran within 30 days if he does not have congressional approval. The vote to rein in Trump’s latitude to clash with Iran continues a recent push by Democrats and some Republicans in Congress to reassert the legislature’s authority to declare war. Even so, House Speaker Nancy P

FCC head Ajit Pai on the expansion of 5G spectrum and HuaweiFCC Chairman Ajit Pai sits down with CNBC’s Jon Fortt to discuss the expansion of 5G, the availability of new spectrum, and more.

Someone had to dream of using it that way — and convince Twitter that the idea wasn’t “too nerdy.” Messina set out to see if he could get other Twitter users on board with his hashtag idea. Courtesy of Biz StoneTwitter users make it happenAs it happened though, Messina’s hashtag idea ended up taking off anyway. From there, Messina convinced some third-party developers who were building apps for Twitter users to add support for hashtags to their apps. As more people started using hashtags, and mo