[naviga:h3]Yellen suggests a continuation of gradual rate hikes[/naviga:h3]

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says the Fed expects to continue raising interest rates gradually. And she told lawmakers Wednesday that the Fed will take care not to choke off any extra growth generated by tax cuts as long as inflation stayed tame.

In likely her last appearance before Congress, Yellen received praise and appreciation from both Republicans and Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee for her four-year tenure.

[naviga:h3]Senate poised for test vote on tax overhaul[/naviga:h3]

WASHINGTON — Conservative groups and lawmakers are lining up against a proposal by Senate Republicans to impose automatic tax increases if their sweeping tax package doesn’t grow the economy and raise tax revenues as much as projected.

Their opposition comes as the Senate is expected to vote to start debating the tax package.

[naviga:h3]White House: ‘We are not anticipating a shutdown’[/naviga:h3]

WASHINGTON — The White House says it does not anticipate the government will be forced to shut down at midnight on Dec. 8.

Government funding expires on that day and an extension is needed to keep the government operating. President Donald Trump and Congress’ top Republican and Democratic leaders were to discuss spending Tuesday, but the Democrats backed out after Trump criticized them on Twitter.

White House spokesman Raj Shah says officials “are not anticipating a shutdown” — despite the setback.

[naviga:h3]International visitors to U.S. down 4 percent in 2017[/naviga:h3]

NEW YORK — The number of international visitors arriving in the U.S. declined nearly 4 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2016, according to data released Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office.

Many sectors of the travel industry predicted a “Trump slump” resulting from President Donald Trump’s anti-foreigner rhetoric and policies. Visitors declined from every region of the world except Canada.

[naviga:h3]Bitcoin surges past $10,000 threshold, fueling debate[/naviga:h3]

LONDON — The price of bitcoin surged through $10,000 on Wednesday, adding to its 10-fold jump in value this year and fueling a debate as to whether the virtual currency is gaining mainstream acceptance or is merely a bubble waiting to burst.

[naviga:h3]Union: Many flights in December lack scheduled pilots[/naviga:h3]

DALLAS — A scheduling glitch has left American Airlines scrambling to find pilots to operate thousands of flights over the busy Christmas holiday period.

American says it will find crews to operate the flights. The airline is offering overtime to willing pilots.