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NEW YORK — Amazon, under pressure to improve worker rights, has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its workers to freely organize — and without retaliation.

The U.S. Energy Department awarded a second batch of crude oil from the strategic reserve to Marathon Petroleum Corp. as part of the Biden administration’s effort to lower energy costs.

Orders placed with U.S. factories for durable goods rose in November by the most in six months, exceeding forecasts and pointing to steady demand that will help drive production growth in early 2022.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, remaining at a historically low level that reflects the job market’s strong recovery from the coronavirus recession last year.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is awarding more than $241 million in grants to bolster U.S. ports, part of the Biden administration’s near-term plan to address America’s clogged supply chain with infrastructure improvements to speed the flow of goods.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says it will hold a special session Jan. 7 to weigh challenges to two Biden administration policies covering vaccine requirements for millions of workers — policies that affect large employers and health care workers.

The U.S. government has authorized Petroleos Mexicanos’ bid to take over Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Deer Park refinery, according to Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

President Joe Biden said that his administration, together with labor unions and companies, succeeded in averting a holiday season supply chain crisis.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence rose in December as Americans shrugged off concerns about rising prices and COVID-19’s highly contagious omicron variant.