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Spending up except for auto purchases

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers lost a little of their enthusiasm for auto purchases last month but spent like mad in a number of other areas including clothing and gasoline, the Commerce Department reported.

Overall, retail sales were up 0.2 percent in October after having risen by 1.6 percent in September, which had been the biggest gain in six months.

The slowdown last month reflected a big 2.2 percent decline in auto sales. Without this big decline, retail sales would have risen by 0.9 percent last month.

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MEMPHIS (AP) — FedEx Corp. is challenging an order by the U.S. Department of Transportation to repay $29 million of the federal money it received after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act provided financial relief to U.S. air carriers after the Sept. 11 attacks.

FedEx was paid $101 million under the act in 2002. But a review by the Department of Transportation determined that the company was only entitled to $72 million and it wants FedEx to repay the rest.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The government on Friday ordered airlines to turn over personal information about passengers who flew within the United States in June in order to test a new system for identifying potential terrorists.

The system, dubbed “Secure Flight,” will compare passenger data with names on two government watch lists, a “no fly” list comprised of people who are suspected to be terrorists, and a list of people who require more scrutiny before boarding planes.

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