State officials say the president’s actions are a new form of retribution, even as the White House has pardoned allies charged with defrauding government.

West Haven, Conn., has budgeted $16,000 for an acoustics expert to try to pinpoint the source of a low-frequency disturbance that has disrupted residents’ lives.

From markets to spending to debt, usually reliable indicators that forecast where the economy is headed are proving deeply fallible.