By Omar El Chmouri, Bloomberg News

They may be more than 8,000 miles apart, but Dubai and Las Vegas are becoming oddly alike, particularly where tourism is concerned. For one thing, both are doubling down on large-scale events and good winter weather as reasons to visit. The emirate’s first casino licenses are on the horizon. And now, Dubai has beat Las Vegas at one of its own games. According to new data pulled for Bloomberg by real estate analyst CoStar Group, the Middle Eastern city now has more hotel rooms than America’s resort capital.

For years, Dubai thrived as a transfer hub — a city people would fly through but not stay in. Hotel infrastructure proves that has changed. Asking visitors to stay in town — rather than transiting through the airport on a layover — requires the matching infrastructure, so the city has doubled the number of available hotel beds over the past decade. Setting aside Chinese cities, which benefit from massive numbers of domestic tourists in the second-most-populous country, Dubai is now a runner-up only to London in number of hotel rooms globally.

The parallels between Dubai and Vegas extend further. Only a few months ago, a Las Vegas expert marveled in a Bloomberg Pursuits city guide that her hometown “was literally built from nothing, in the middle of the desert.” The same could be said of Dubai. And just as Vegas has identified successful culinary concepts from around the world and replicated them in its own hotels and resorts, so has Dubai. (See recent imports such as London-born China Tang, Mumbai’s Bombay Club and Parisian steakhouse Le Relais de l’Entrecôte.) Vegas is doubling down on sports — having acquired teams in the NFL, WNBA and NHL — but so too are the Emirates, with neighboring Abu Dhabi hosting F1 races and NBA preseason games that are easily accessible from Dubai. All of these draws have increased Dubai’s appeal as a leisure destination worth returning to.

As for the hotel boom, it runs the gamut from more affordable stays to decadent five-star resorts. And it shows no signs of stopping: Upcoming openings include Ciel Tower, set to become the world’s tallest hotel when it opens in November, with 1,004 rooms and eight restaurants filling 82 floors at the Dubai Marina. That’s just one of 56 hotels in the city’s construction pipeline as of early this year, according to industry researchers at Lodging Economics; together, those projects represented another 15,000-plus rooms being added to Dubai’s total.

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Restaurants are following a similar trajectory. In 2024 alone, the Emirate issued 1,200 new restaurant licenses, while beach clubs in the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina areas have exploded in popularity. (Think of them as equivalents to Vegas’ pool-party spots.)

But there’s one notable point of distinction between Vegas and Dubai: Business in Dubai is up, while in Vegas it’s lagging. Between January and May, average occupancy rates in the Middle Eastern city’s hotels stood at 83%, up from 81% in the same period last year, according to official data. In Las Vegas, figures from CoStar found that hotels on the Strip have seen occupancy rates dip between 1% and 5% every month since February 2025 when compared to the year prior.

Both cities are contending with complex geopolitics. Vegas’ performance relates at least in part to the broader problems of international tourism to the U.S. lagging in the face of tariffs, along with a sharp shifts in behavior from angry Canadians. Dubai’s successes come in spite of regional instability and the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June, which briefly closed airspace in the United Arab Emirates. Resilience in the face of such significant considerations is at least as telling about the cities’ futures as the number of hotel rooms they contain.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is slipping on Thursday as Nvidia and other superstars swept up in the mania around artificial-intelligence technology keep swinging.

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The S&P 500 fell 0.6% in morning trading, pulling a bit further from its all-time high set late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 106 points, or 0.2%, from its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was down 1.1%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time.

Nvidia was the heaviest weight on the market after the chip company lost 2.7%. Other AI darlings also struggled, including drops of 3.4% for Palantir Technologies and 4.2% for Super Micro Computer.

Questions have been rising worldwide about whether such superstar stocks can add more to their already spectacular gains. Palantir earlier this month had a stunning rise of nearly 174% for the year so far, for example.

Such sensational performances have been one of the top reasons the U.S. market has hit records despite a slowing job market and high inflation. AI stock prices have shot so high, though, that they’ve drawn comparisons to the 2000 dot-com bubble which ultimately dragged the S&P 500 down by nearly half after bursting.

In the meantime, Wall Street is waiting to see if more news coming about the economy’s health will be good news or bad.

The U.S. government is reopening following a six-week shutdown, its longest in history. The stock market mostly rose through the shutdown, as it has often done historically, but Wall Street is bracing for potential swings as the government gets back to releasing important updates on the job market and other signals about the economy’s strength.

The fear is that the data could persuade the Federal Reserve to halt its cuts to interest rates, which can boost the economy but also worsen inflation. Wall Street has already run to records in part on expectations for more such cuts, and a pullback could hurt the stock market.

The “looming data deluge may spur additional volatility in the coming weeks,” according to Doug Beath, global equity strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Traders have already reduced their bets that the Fed will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in December, now seeing a 53% of that, down from nearly 70% a week ago, according to data from CME Group.

That helped push yields higher in the bond market, which can weigh on prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.10% from 4.08% late Wednesday.

On Wall Street, The Walt Disney Co. helped lead the market lower after falling 8.2%. The entertainment giant reported profit for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations, but its revenue fell short.

That helped offset a jump of 4.3% for Cisco after the tech giant delivered profit and revenue that were bigger than analysts estimated.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe following modest gains in Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4%, even as tech giant SoftBank Group lost another 3.4%. It’s been struggling since it said it had sold all of its investments in Nvidia.

AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Did you ever have one of those days where you just need to do something, anything, to keep busy? That was me recently at my son’s home in New Jersey.

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My youngest grandson, just 4 months old, was headed the next day to the hospital for surgery. And like any grandma, I was on edge with worry.

Baking always is a great, meditative way to burn an hour or so. Measuring out ingredients requires focus and the aroma of something baking in the oven is an instant mood-lifter. So I thought, why not?

Since I come from a family of nurses, I also know that it’s always nice to provide the medical staff that takes care of a loved one with something tasty. So I decided to make one of my favorite fall treats for my son and daughter-in-law to take along to the hospital: apple cider doughnuts.

Most everyone loves doughnuts, and in October, ones made with local apple cider and dusted with cinnamon sugar are a quintessential fall treat.

A bite of an apple cider doughnut is a taste of autumn. (Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Dan reported back that the doughnuts were a hit, and thankfully, so was little Georgie’s surgery.

About the doughnuts: If you choose a fried recipe, things can get messy pretty quickly. Also, you need pretty good temperature control because if the oil is too hot, the outside of the doughnuts will burn but the insides will still be raw and doughy; too cold, and the doughnuts will soak in too much oil and taste heavy.

If you bake them instead, they might not be as pillowy as their fried counterparts, but they’re still a good, sweet treat.

This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is a favorite. Made with an apple cider reduction and dusted in a warm, seasonal mix of cinnamon and sugar, they embody everything people love about fall in sweet dough form.

The doughnuts are best warm, but they are also quite tasty at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Cider apples make the best apple cider doughnuts. (Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

PG tested

Cooking the cider down concentrates its flavor so you need to add less to the batter. Be careful not to overmix — you don’t want the dough to produce gluten.

Scooping flour right out of the bag compacts it; for more precise measuring, spoon and level it instead.

1 1/2 cups apple cider

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Reduce the apple cider: Stirring occasionally, simmer apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. If there are any spices or solids on top, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Make the doughnuts: Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Whisk melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk and vanilla extract together. Pour into dry ingredients, add reduced apple cider, and mix everything together with a whisk or spatula until smooth and combined (only until the flour disappears). Batter will be slightly thick.

Spoon the batter into the doughnut cavities, or use a large zipped-top bag with the corner cut off the bottom to pipe it into the pan. Fill each about halfway.

Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the doughnut. If it bounces back, they’re done. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining batter.

Coat the doughnuts: Combine granulated sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each doughnut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.

Doughnuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Makes 12-16 doughnuts, depending on pan.

— sallysbakingaddiction.com

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Oona Zenda, KFF Health News

Last winter, Amber Wingler started getting a series of increasingly urgent messages from the local hospital in Columbia, Missouri, letting her know her family’s health care might soon be upended.

MU Health Care, where most of her family’s doctors work, was mired in a contract dispute with Wingler’s health insurer, Anthem. The existing contract was set to expire.

Then, on March 31, Wingler received an email alerting her that the next day Anthem was dropping the hospital from its network. It left her reeling.

“I know that they go through contract negotiations all the time … but it just seemed like bureaucracy that wasn’t going to affect us. I’d never been pushed out-of-network like that before,” she said.

The timing was awful.

Wingler’s 8-year-old daughter, Cora, had been having unexplained troubles with her gut. Waitlists to see various pediatric specialists to get a diagnosis, from gastroenterology to occupational therapy, were long — ranging from weeks to more than a year.

(In a statement, MU Health Care spokesperson Eric Maze said the health system works to make sure children with the most urgent needs are seen as quickly as possible.)

Suddenly, the specialist visits for Cora were out-of-network. At a few hundred bucks a piece, the out-of-pocket cost would have added up fast. The only other in-network pediatric specialists Wingler found were in St. Louis and Kansas City, both more than 120 miles away.

So Wingler delayed her daughter’s appointments for months while she tried to figure out what to do.

Nationwide, contract disputes are common, with more than 650 hospitals having public spats with an insurer since 2021. They could become even more common as hospitals brace for about $1 trillion in cuts to federal health care spending prescribed by President Donald Trump’s signature legislation signed into law in July.

Patients caught in a contract dispute have few good options. “There’s that old African proverb: that when two elephants fight, the grass gets trampled. And unfortunately, in these situations, oftentimes patients are grass,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation, a nonprofit that helps people who are having trouble accessing health care.

If you’re feeling trampled by a contract dispute between a hospital and your insurer, here is what you need to know to protect yourself financially:

1. “Out-of-network” means you’ll likely pay more.

Insurance companies negotiate contracts with hospitals and other medical providers to set the rates they will pay for various services. When they reach an agreement, the hospital and most of the providers who work there become part of the insurance company’s network.

Most patients prefer to see providers who are “in-network” because their insurance picks up some, most, or even all of the bill, which could be hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you see an out-of-network provider, you could be on the hook for the whole tab.

If you decide to stick with your familiar doctors even though they’re out-of-network, consider asking about getting a cash discount and about the hospital’s financial assistance program.

2. Rifts between hospitals and insurers often get repaired.

When Brown University health policy researcher Jason Buxbaum examined 3,714 nonfederal hospitals across the U.S., he said, he found that about 18% of them had a public dispute with an insurance company sometime from June 2021 to May 2025.

About half of those hospitals ultimately dropped out of the insurance company’s network, according to Buxbaum’s preliminary data. But most of those breakups ultimately get resolved within a month or two, he added. So your doctors very well could end up back in the network, even after a split.

3. You might qualify for an exception to keep costs lower.

Certain patients with serious or complex conditions might qualify for an extension of in-network coverage, called continuity of care. You can apply for that extension by contacting your insurer, but the process may prove lengthy. Some hospitals have set up resources to help patients apply for that extension.

Some patients decide to put off appointments while they wait. Others keep their appointments and pay out-of-pocket. (Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS)

Wingler ran that gauntlet for her daughter, spending hours on the phone, filling out forms, and sending faxes. But she said she didn’t have the time or energy to do that for everyone in her family.

“My son was going through physical therapy,” she said. “But I’m sorry, dude, like, just do your exercises that you already have. I’m not fighting to get you coverage too, when I’m already fighting for your sister.”

Also worth noting, if you’re dealing with a medical emergency: For most emergency services, hospitals can’t charge patients more than their in-network rates.

4. Switching your insurance carrier may need to wait.

You might be thinking of switching to an insurer that covers your preferred doctors. But be aware: Many people who choose their insurance plans during an annual open enrollment period are locked into their plan for a year. Insurance contracts with hospitals are not necessarily on the same timeline as your “plan year.”

Certain life events, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing a job, can qualify you to change insurance outside of your annual open enrollment period, but your doctors’ dropping out of an insurance network is not a qualifying life event.

5. Doctor-shopping can be time-consuming.

If the split between your insurance company and hospital looks permanent, you might consider finding a new slate of doctors and other providers who are in-network with your plan. Where to start? Your insurance plan likely has an online tool to search for in-network providers near you.

But know that making a switch could mean waiting to establish yourself as a patient with a new doctor and, in some cases, traveling a fair distance.

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6. It’s worth holding on to your receipts.

Even if your insurance and hospital don’t strike a deal before their contract expires, there’s a decent chance they will still make a new agreement.

Some patients decide to put off appointments while they wait. Others keep their appointments and pay out-of-pocket. Hold on to your receipts if you do. When insurers and hospitals make up, the deals often are backdated, so the appointments you paid for out-of-pocket could be covered after all.

End of an ordeal

Three months after the contract between Wingler’s insurance company and the hospital lapsed, the sides announced they had reached a new agreement. Wingler joined the throng of patients scheduling appointments they’d delayed during the ordeal.

In a statement, Jim Turner, a spokesperson for Anthem’s parent company, Elevance Health, wrote, “We approach negotiations with a focus on fairness, transparency, and respect for everyone impacted.”

Maze from MU Health Care said: “We understand how important timely access to pediatric specialty care is for families, and we’re truly sorry for the frustration some parents have experienced scheduling appointments following the resolution of our Anthem contract negotiations.”

Wingler was happy her family could see their providers again, but her relief was tempered by a resolve not to be caught in the same position again.

“I think we will be a little more studious when open enrollment comes around,” Wingler said. “We’d never really bothered to look at our out-of-pocket coverage before because we didn’t need it.”

Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky question and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle it out. Share your story. The crowdsourced project is a joint production of NPR and KFF Health News.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.