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Joshua Fechter and Jasper Scherer, The Texas Tribune  |  Wichita Falls Times Record NewsProperty tax cuts aren’t free. In fact, they’re costing Texas a fortune.The Texas House is considering a budget that would shell out $51 billion — 15% of the state's total two-year spending plan — to maintain and provide new property tax cuts. That number, more than the state allocates to transportation or higher education, is making even some Republicans nervous about the state’s ability to afford the tax relief if there’s an economic downturn.If it were its...

Some industry participants call this the policy that the National Association of Realtors should have put out.Protect yourself from these common real estate scamsReal estate scams are on the rise. Here’s how to protect your home and your wallet from the most common cons.A battle over how homeowners list their properties for sale is shaking up the housing industry, with big implications for sellers and buyers.On April 10, the massive real estate company Zillow announced it would not accept any listings that have been previously offered for sale in a...

This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets. Asia-Pacific markets climbed Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump paused tariffs on some consumer electronics, boosting risk sentiment. Hong Kong stocks led gains in the region, with the Hang Seng Index ending the day 2.4% higher at 21,417.40 to and Hang Seng Tech Index moving up 2.34% to 5,015.12. Mainland China's CSI 300 rose 0.23% to close at 3,759.14. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 ended the day 1.18% higher at 33,982.36%, while the broader Topix index rose 0.88% to 2,488.51. In South Korea, the Kospi index added 0.95%...

Donna Marie Elkins, 59, was charged with assault and imprisonment after drawing a weapon on teens she said were fishing on her Florida property. The incident raised questions about property rights.Melbourne woman charged with holding teens at gunpointBrevard County Sheriff's deputies say Donna Marie Elkins, 59, drew a weapon on two teens she believed were fishing on her property.It was a sight that left Mike Jones sick to his stomach.There, live on his phone, was his son lying in the grass as a woman clutching a long pellet gun screamed,...

Stock market uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s tariffs has even casual investors anxiously watching the VIX, commonly called Wall Street’s panic index or fear gauge.The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index – known as VIX – measures market expectations of stock price changes over the next 30 days, according to Cboe Global Markets, which manages the index.Investors use it to anticipate how stocks will react in stressful economic times, including those caused by tariffs. If VIX activity goes up, the stock market will probably go down.On April 7, the index...

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks during rally for property tax reform at Indiana StatehouseIndiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks during a rally for property tax reform Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Indiana Statehouse.(Correction: This story was updated to reflect that the 10% property tax credit is off of a homeowner's bill, not their assessed value.)The Indiana House on Thursday passed its version of the signature property tax relief bill that has grown to also include reforms of local government finance.  The complex tax proposal in Senate Bill 1, which passed the...

Greg Bensinger and Deborah Mary Sophia  |  ReutersAmazon Alexa now wants you to go hands-free in a carColumnist Marc Saltzman reviews one of the hands-free driving options, Alexa in a car.Marc Saltzman, Special for USA TODAYAmazon AMZN.O chief executive Andy Jassy on Thursday justified the company's billions of dollars in outlays for artificial intelligence development, saying the investment was necessary to remain competitive."If your mission is to make customers' lives better and easier every day, and you believe every customer experience will be reinvented by AI, you're going to invest deeply and...

US and Russian officials have met in Turkey to discuss ways of normalizing the operations of their countries' embassies. Russia's state-run Tass news agency says the US and Russian diplomats held talks for five and a half hours at the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul on Thursday. The officials reportedly agreed to make it easier for diplomats to travel and receive visas. The agency also says the two sides discussed the need to resume direct air service between the countries. The Russian side is said to have mentioned that it...

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to more than 75 U.S. trading partners except for China, whose tariff rate he said will increase to 125%, effective immediately.U.S. markets reacted favorably, surging higher in afternoon trading. The Dow gained nearly 3,000 points and the S&P 500 rose 474. The Nasdaq rose more than 1,800.Trump's decision is the latest is a series of market-wrenching moves that have taken place since the president announced a series of tariffs on April 2. Stock market declines and a...

Maurie Backman  |  The Motley FoolUS stocks suffer worst quarter since 2022 amid tariffs fearsTwo major US stock indexes ended their worst quarter in over two years, with the S&P 500 dropping 4.5% and the Nasdaq dipping 10.4%.The Dow Jones dropped 1.3%, marking its first consecutive monthly loss since October 2023, as the broader market faces uncertainty ahead of Trump's new tariffs.unbranded - NewsworthyA tumbling stock market has many Americans worried about their retirement portfolios. And if you feel similarly, that's quite understandable.Even if you've been through a stock market...