NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are venturing into record territory this afternoon, starting the second half of the year reaching some all-time highs. The Dow is near 17,000, while the S&P 500 is heading above its all-time closing high of June 20. Traders were encouraged by reports that manufacturing in the U.S. and China expanded in June

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the largest recall of infant car seats in American history. Graco Children’s Products is recalling 1.9 million of the seats after a five-month spat between Graco and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Earlier this year the company recalled 4.2 million toddler seats for a harness buckle problem. But it resisted the agency’s demand to recall the infant seats.

WASHINGTON (AP) — June marked the 13th straight month that U.S. manufacturing grew, but the pace of the expansion slowed from May. The Institute for Supply Management says orders rose at a faster pace last month compared with May. But growth in production slowed. A measure of employment shows that factories added jobs for the 12th straight month at the same pace as in May.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gains in U.S. construction spending barely increased in May, as a big drop in home building offset spending on office buildings and public construction. The Commerce Department says construction spending edged up 0.1 percent in May after a much stronger 0.8 percent April increase. The construction industry has struggled with an unusually severe winter which curtailed building activity in many regions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is warning that gridlock in Washington will lead to gridlock across the country if lawmakers can’t quickly agree on how to pay for highway and transit programs. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said today that states will begin to feel the pain of cutbacks in highway and transit aid as soon as the first week in August, when summer driving time is at its peak. That’s because the balance in the federal Highway Trust Fund is dropping and will soon go below $4 billion.

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