Michael Sasso

Donald Trump said he’d like to focus on policy — as his allies are urging him to do — but can’t when Barack and Michelle Obama are delivering scathing critiques of him on prime-time television.

US sales of previously owned homes rose in July for the first time in five months, suggesting the housing market is poised to stabilize as mortgage rates decline.

New-home sales in the US bounced back to the highest level since May 2023 as buyers took advantage of lower mortgage rates and more listings to choose from.

A gauge of pending US sales of existing homes sunk in July to the lowest level on record, as high prices and borrowing costs continue to scare buyers away.

I'm Michael Sasso, an economy reporter in Atlanta, and today we're looking at how the US election is affecting business plans.

The contest between the vice president and Donald Trump in Georgia and North Carolina is essentially tied, a stark turnaround from when Joe Biden was running.

The surging enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris in Georgia and North Carolina is convincing local Democratic leaders that she can score the first double win in the Southern swing states since Jimmy Carter.

Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at Enmarket Arena during a two-day campaign bus tour in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 2024. (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

This is Washington Edition, the newsletter about money, power and politics in the nation's capital. Today, economy reporter Michael Sasso looks at Democrats' electoral hopes in the South.

US mortgage rates fell last week to their lowest level since April 2023, prompting potential homebuyers to apply for loans at a faster clip.