Wire stories category, Page 27
Looking for a refill? McDonald’s is saying goodbye to self-serve soda in the coming years
NEW YORK — Say goodbye to refilling that Coke. McDonald’s is getting rid of self-served soda. The Chicago-based fast food chain plans to eliminate self-service soda machines at its U.S. restaurants by 2032, McDonald’s confirmed this week. It’s unclear if locations outside the U.S. will follow suit. In an email...
U.S. claims Google pays more than $10 billion a year to maintain its search dominanceVideo
WASHINGTON — Google has exploited its dominance of the internet search market to lock out competitors and smother innovation, the Department of Justice said Tuesday at the opening of the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. “This case is about the future of the internet and whether Google’s...
Hostess is being acquired by JM Smucker in a deal valued at $5.6B after coming back from the brink
Hostess, the maker of snack classics such as Twinkies and HoHos, is being sold to J.M. Smucker in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $5.6 billion. Smucker, which makes everything from coffee to peanut butter and jelly, will pay $34.25 per share in cash and stock, and it will also pick...
Wall Street rises to reverse some of last week’s losses
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rising Monday as Wall Street recovers some of its losses from last week. The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in afternoon trading, coming off its first losing week in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 90 points, or 0.3%, at...
JetBlue is stepping up a campaign to save its plan to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion
NEW YORK — JetBlue Airways said Monday it has reached an agreement to turn over Spirit Airlines’ operations at airports in Boston and Newark, New Jersey, as JetBlue ramps up its effort to win regulatory or court approval to buy Spirit. JetBlue CEO Robin Hays said the announcement “is aimed...
Google reaches tentative settlement with 36 states and D.C. over alleged app store monopoly
Thirty-six states and the District of Colombia have reached an agreement in principle with Google to settle a lawsuit filed in 2021 over the tech giant’s alleged monopolistic control of app distribution for the software that runs most of the world’s cellphones. The agreement, cited in a court filing late...
Carmakers failing privacy test, as owners have little or no control of data they hand over
BOSTON — Cars are getting an “F” in data privacy. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order. The proliferation of sensors in automobiles —...
UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline loomsVideo
DETROIT — A 46% pay raise. A 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay. A restoration of traditional pensions. The demands that a more combative United Auto Workers union has pressed on General Motors, Stellantis and Ford — demands that even the UAW’s own president calls “audacious” — are edging...
Food ads are in the crosshairs as Burger King, others face lawsuits for false advertising
Food ads have long made their subjects look bigger, juicier and crispier than they are in real life. But some consumers say those mouthwatering ads can cross the line into deception, and that’s leading to a growing number of lawsuits. Burger King is the latest company in the crosshairs. In...
Tesla is allowing no-hands driving with Autopilot for longer periods. US regulators have questions
DETROIT — Tesla is allowing some drivers to use its Autopilot driver-assist system for extended periods without making them put their hands on the steering wheel, a development that has drawn concern from U.S. safety regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to tell the agency how...
122-year-old U.S. Steel is reviewing ‘numerous’ buyout offers
After receiving two buyout offers in the past month, U.S. Steel said Tuesday it is in the process of reviewing multiple offers for the storied company and symbol of American industrialization. U.S. Steel rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland-Cliffs two weeks ago, and that offer was followed...
Have home prices bottomed? While low housing inventory stymies sales, bidding wars prop up prices
LOS ANGELES — The housing market remains in a deep sales slump, but the worst declines may be over when it comes to home prices. While home sales have fallen 22.3% through the first seven months of the year versus the same stretch in 2022, prices are being propped up...
Unionized UPS workers approve contract leaders agreed to in late July
The union representing 340,000 UPS workers said Tuesday that its members voted to approve the tentative contract agreement reached last month, putting a final seal on contentious labor negotiations that threatened to disrupt package deliveries for millions of businesses and households nationwide. The Teamsters said in a statement that 86%...
Europe’s sweeping rules for tech giants are about to kick in. Here’s how they work
LONDON — Google, Facebook, TikTok and other Big Tech companies operating in Europe are facing one of the most far-reaching efforts to clean up what people encounter online. The first phase of the European Union’s groundbreaking new digital rules will take effect this week. The Digital Services Act is part...
Looking for a new car under $20,000? Good luck. Your choice has dwindled to just 1 vehicle
DETROIT — Just five years ago, a price-conscious auto shopper in the United States could choose from among a dozen new small cars selling for under $20,000. Now, there’s just one: The Mitsubishi Mirage. And even the Mirage appears headed for the scrap yard. At a time when Americans increasingly...
Emerging economies are pushing to end the dollar’s dominance. But what’s the alternative?
ABUJA, Nigeria — Business has vanished at Kingsley Odafe’s clothing shop in Nigeria’s capital, forcing him to lay off three employees. One culprit for his troubles stands out: The U.S. dollar’s strength against the Nigerian currency, the naira, has pushed the price of garments and other foreign goods beyond the...
Average long-term mortgage rate climbs to 7.09% this week to highest level in more than 20 years
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than 20 years, grim news for would-be homebuyers already challenged by a housing market that remains competitive due to a dearth of homes for sale. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate...
Intel calls off $5.4B Tower deal after failing to obtain regulatory approvals
HONG KONG — Intel will terminate a $5.4 billion deal to acquire Israeli chip manufacturer Tower Semiconductor after China failed to sign off on the deal amid rising tensions with the United States. It was a mutual decision between Intel and Tower, the companies said Wednesday. Intel said that the...
American industrial icon U.S. Steel is on the verge of being absorbed as industry consolidates further
With two bidders revealed in a matter of days and more in the wings, United States Steel Corp. — a symbol of American industrialization that for more than a century helped build everything from the United Nations building in New York City to the New Orleans Superdome — appears be...
A Pennsylvania study suggests links between fracking and asthma, lymphoma in children
HARRISBURG — Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily drilled Pennsylvania were more likely to develop a relatively rare form of cancer, and nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma reactions, researchers said in reports released Tuesday evening. The taxpayer-funded research by...
In twilight of muscle car era, demand roars for new 486-horsepower V-8 Ford Mustang
DETROIT — New versions of the Mustang muscle car will begin shipping next week and more than two thirds of the orders include the big, 5-liter V-8 engine, Ford said Friday. Demand for roaring engines remains strong in an era when Detroit automakers are starting to phase out the rumbling...
Wall Street marches higher ahead of new numbers on U.S. inflation, jobs
Wall Street pointed toward gains before markets opened Thursday ahead of a closely watched U.S. inflation report. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 each climbed 0.5% before the opening bell. The U.S. government will give its monthly update on the inflation at the consumer level in...
Number of Americans applying for jobless aid rises, but not enough to cause concern
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits jumped last week, but not enough to raise concern about the consistently strong U.S. labor market. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 248,000 for the week ending August 5, from 227,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday....
4 LGBTQ+ retirement hurdles and what to do about them
In many ways, retirement planning for someone in the LGBTQ+ community is the same as anyone else’s retirement planning: save more, spend less, invest for the long term. But for LGBTQ+ people, there are unique challenges. Historically lower incomes mean they have less to save overall. Because they’re less likely...
Zoom, which thrived on the remote work revolution, wants workers back in the office part-time
NEW YORK — The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend. Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The...
