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Wire stories category, Page 96

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Group says misinformation on the rise on Facebook
SAN FRANCISCO — An advocacy group tracking misinformation says it has found an increase in fake political news shared on Facebook ahead of the 2020 presidential elections. The group, Avaaz, said Wednesday that misinformation is still being spread on Facebook despite measures the company has put in place since the...
Ford electric vehicle chief sees more products, sales growth
DEARBORN, Mich. — So far, electric vehicles haven’t been accepted in the United States, with fewer than 1.5% of new-vehicle buyers choosing them over internal combustion engines. That surely will change as more manufacturers offer vehicles with longer range and fast-charging networks keep growing. Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co.,...
Trump pushes back on reports U.S. will remove China tariffs
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed a Chinese official’s assertion that his administration has agreed to roll back some of the higher tariffs it’s imposed on Chinese goods. The Chinese official said Thursday that the two sides had agreed to a phased cancellation of their tariff hikes as...
Digital wallets like Apple Cash can’t help if you’re scammed
My desperation to see Ariana Grande in concert created the perfect trap. Instead of seeing her sing about love and loss, I got sucked into an online ticket scheme that cost me $75 and a big chunk of my pride. Con artists often get away with scams like these because...
Stocks rally to highs on low rates, hopes for trade peace
NEW YORK — It’s the market that continues mostly upward, even though there’s still plenty to worry about. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq closed at record highs yet again on Tuesday, and the S&P 500 closed barely below the all-time high it reached a day earlier. The...
Boeing chairman says CEO won’t get bonus until 737 Max flies
Boeing’s new chairman gave embattled CEO Dennis Muilenburg a vote of confidence Tuesday and said the chief executive is giving up any bonus this year. David Calhoun said the Boeing board believes Muilenburg “has done everything right” and is positioning the Chicago company to return the 737 Max to service...
AT&T fined $60M for misleading with ‘unlimited’ plans
AT&T will pay $60 million to settle the government’s allegation it misled customers of unlimited-data plans by slowing down service for heavy users. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that AT&T will automatically provide partial refunds to customers who signed up for unlimited wireless plans before 2011. The FTC sued...
EPA proposes eased Obama-era regulations on coal-ash pollution
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed to make it easier for power companies to dispose of the toxic residues from burning coal, building on other steps the agency has already taken to rewrite Obama-era rules for coal ash pollution. The EPA’s actions would unwind some of the...
McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook steps down because of relationship with employee
NEW YORK — McDonald’s chief executive officer has left the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment. McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with...
Airbnb CEO says company is banning ‘party houses’
Airbnb Inc. says it’s banning “party houses” in the wake of a deadly shooting at an Airbnb rental in California. In a series of tweets Saturday, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said that the San Francisco-based company is stepping up efforts to “combat unauthorized parties and get rid of...
Stocks hit records as strong jobs report calms trade worries
NEW YORK — Stocks powered to records Friday after an encouraging jobs report gave reassurance that the economy is still solid, despite the pain U.S. factories are feeling from President Donald Trump’s trade war. The Labor Department’s report showed that employers added more jobs in October than economists expected, and...
Minnesota company snubs time change by removing clocks
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — While most everyone wishes they could turn back time, one of the largest corporations in the country is sick of it. Minnesota-based 3M is taking advantage of the end of daylight saving time and removing about 1,000 wall clocks at its 400-acre Maplewood campus. For decades, nearly...
Stocks close broadly lower on new U.S.-China trade jitters
Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street Thursday after investors got spooked by a published report that cast doubt on the prospects of a long-term U.S-China trade deal. Bond prices surged, sending yields sharply lower, as traders turned cautious. The sell-off was a marked shift from a day earlier, when...
Apple TV Plus joins streaming wars, has Oprah but no catalog
LOS ANGELES — As the streaming wars near a fever pitch and viewers are targeted from every vantage point — Disney Plus has the Marvel and Star Wars brands! HBO Max counters with “Game of Thrones” and DC superheroes! — Apple TV Plus could be cast as the highly pedigreed...
Twitter pulls back on political ads, but pitfalls await
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter announced an end Wednesday to political campaign and issue ads on its service, calling it an important step in reducing the flow of election-related misinformation. But some of its users might face an unintended consequence or two. Among those potentially affected could be public-interest nonprofits eager...
S&P 500 hits new high as traders welcome latest Fed rate cut
Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 to a record high for the second time this week, as investors welcomed the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates for the third time this year. The central bank also indicated that it won’t cut rates again...
Purdue Pharma paid CEO $9M in year before bankruptcy
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma paid its CEO $9 million and its board chairman nearly $4 million in the 12 months before the company’s bankruptcy filing last month, according to recently filed financial documents. Five other board members overseeing the private company were paid a combined $3.7 million over that span....
Fed cuts rates a 3rd time this year but signals likely pause
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for the third time this year to try to sustain the economic expansion in the face of global threats. But it hinted that it won’t likely cut again this year. The Fed’s move reduces the short-term rate it controls...
Beverage companies aim to get bottles recycled, not trashed
Every year, an estimated 100 billion plastic bottles are produced in the U.S., the bulk of which come from three of America’s biggest beverage companies: Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Keurig Dr Pepper. The problem? Only one-third of those bottles get recycled; the rest end up in the trash. That bleak trend...
U.S. stocks cap wobbly day of trading with modest losses
Technology companies led stocks lower on Wall Street on Tuesday as a wobbly day of trading ended with modest losses for the market. Health care stocks jumped on stronger-than-expected reports from drugmakers, but losses by internet and media companies held the market in check following a mixed report from Google’s...
3 major automakers side with Trump in legal fight with California
WASHINGTON — General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and 10 smaller automakers are siding with the Trump administration in a lawsuit over whether California has the right to set its own greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards. The companies said Monday they will intervene in a lawsuit filed by the...
More employers offer workers help paying off student loans
Americans collectively owe nearly $1.5 trillion in student loans — more than twice the total a decade ago. It’s a burden that weighs on millions of adults, shaping their life choices and often stunting their financial growth. Now a small but growing number of employers are stepping in to help....
Grubhub valuation tumbles as rivals encroach
NEW YORK — Shares in Grubhub plunged 43% on Tuesday after it sharply cut its revenue expectations for the year and warned of intense competition. The steep decline in share price wiped away more than $2.25 billion of the company’s valuation in the public market in midday trading. It is...
Horsepower, literally: Finnish horse show runs on manure
HELSINKI — In a glimpse of the future, an entire sports event has been run on horse manure. The world’s governing equestrian body on Monday praised a climate-friendly scheme by a Finnish equestrian event to generate all its electricity needs from horse manure, saying the initiative paves way in cutting...
GM workers ratify contract, ending contentious 40-day strike
ROMULUS, Mich. — A contentious 40-day strike that crippled General Motors’ U.S. production came to an end Friday as workers approved a new contract with the company. The four-year deal will now be used as a template in bargaining with crosstown rival Ford Motor Co., the union’s choice for the...


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