
Shoppers are still spending despite the Delta variant
CNN
US retail sales increased last month as consumers continued to dish out on clothing, furniture and groceries despite rising cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant.
Sales beat economists' expectations, increasing 0.7% in August from the month prior, the Census Bureau said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast a 0.8% drop for the month.
It's a promising sign about consumer appetite heading into the winter and pivotal holiday shopping stretch for retailers.

Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic’s buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review by The Associated Press found.

Two of the most senior figures in the US government — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House chief of staff — have been impersonated in recent weeks using artificial intelligence — a tactic that harnesses a rapidly developing technology that cybersecurity experts say is becoming the “new normal” in terms of cheap and easy scams targeting senior US officials.