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After Starbucks fired seven workers who were trying to unionize their Tennessee store, a U.S. government agency obtained a court order forcing the company to rehire them. Now, Starbucks wants the Supreme Court to curb the government's power in such cases.

On Tuesday, justices are scheduled to hear Starbucks' case against the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that protects the right of employees to organize. If the court sides with Starbucks, it could make it tougher for the NLRB to step in when it alleges corporate interference in unionization efforts.

The hearing comes even as the animosity between Starbucks and Workers United, the union organizing its workers, has begun to fade. The two sides announced in February that they would restart talks with the aim of reaching contract agreements this year. Starbucks and union representatives planned to meet Tuesday for their first bargaining session in nearly a year.

Workers at 420 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, but none of those stores has secured a labor agreement with Starbucks.

The case before the Supreme Court began in February 2022, when Starbucks fired seven employees who were leading a unionization effort in Memphis, Tennessee. Starbucks argued the employees had violated policy by reopening the store after closing time and inviting non-employees — including a television news crew — to come inside.

The National Labor Relations Board determined the firings constituted an illegal interference with workers' right to organize. The agency found that Starbucks had routinely allowed off-duty employees and non-employees to remain in the store after hours to make drinks or collect belongings.

The NLRB asked a federal district court to intervene and require Starbucks to rehire the workers while the case wound its way through the agency's administrative proceedings. A district court judge agreed with the NLRB and issued a temporary injunction ordering Starbucks to rehire the workers in August 2022. After the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling, Starbucks appealed to the Supreme Court.

Five of the seven workers are still employed at the Memphis store, while the other two remain involved with the organizing effort, according to Workers United. The Memphis store voted to unionize in June 2022.

Starbucks said the Supreme Court should intervene because federal appeals courts don't agree on the standards the NLRB must meet when it requests a temporary injunction against a company. Starbucks says temporary injunctions can be a major burden for companies, since the NLRB's administrative process can take years.

Since 1947, the National Labor Relations Act — the law that governs the agency — has allowed courts to grant temporary injunctions requested by the NLRB if it finds them "just and proper." In its review of what transpired at the Starbucks store in Memphis, the Sixth Circuit required the NLRB to establish two things: that it had reasonable cause to believe unfair labor practices occurred and that a restraining order would be a "just and proper" solution.

But other federal appeals courts have required the NLRB to meet a four-factor test when seeking restraining orders, including showing it was likely to prevail in the administrative case and employees would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction.

Starbucks has asked the Supreme Court to establish the four-factor test as the standard all courts must follow when considering NLRB injunction cases.

"This court's intervention is urgently needed," Starbucks wrote in an October court filing. "National employers like Starbucks must defend themselves against years-long injunctions under materially different tests depending on where alleged unfair labor practices occur or where employers reside."

The NLRB says it already considers its likelihood of success before taking a case to court, making whether courts apply two factors or four largely irrelevant. The agency notes that it rarely asks courts for temporary injunctions; in its 2023 fiscal year, it received 19,869 charges of unfair labor practices and authorized the filing of 14 cases seeking temporary injunctions.

"The two-part inquiry undertaken by the Sixth Circuit and other courts ... subjects board petitions to meaningful scrutiny, and does not call for courts merely to 'rubber-stamp' agency requests," the NLRB argued in a filing last month.

Uber is piloting a new rider verification process in 15 U.S. cities that it says will build trust and reliability for riders and drivers alike.

Verified riders will get a blue checkmark that displays by their account in the Uber app, which is meant to reassure Uber drivers that riders are who they say they are.

Uber says it will be "cross-checking a rider’s account information provided during signup against third-party databases," which may automatically grant verification to users if there's already enough information available.

Riders may otherwise be prompted to submit a government identification to make sure information is accurate.

Drivers will see the checkmark alongside the rider's first name and itinerary when they start a trip.

SEE MORE: Man fatally shoots Uber driver after both were targeted by scam calls

"Strengthening rider verification has been a top request from drivers across the country," Uber's head of safety Roger Kaiser said in a statement. "This new verification process and verified rider badge are important steps to help provide drivers with more peace of mind while they are out on the road."

Verification won't be required to take Uber trips, but the company warns that not having verification may cause delays or slower service, since drivers may choose to prioritize verified passengers.

Uber plans to expand the program to more cities in the next few months.

Grindr, a popular dating app geared toward gay and bisexual men, is facing a lawsuit that alleges users’ private information, including HIV status, was shared with third parties without their consent. 

The law firm behind the claim, U.K.-based Austen Hays, said it is filing the class action lawsuit at London’s High Court on Monday because it believes Grindr violated the U.K.’s data protection laws. 

The lawsuit alleges Grindr, which is based in the United States, processed and shared data relating to users’ ethnicities, sex lives, sexual orientations and HIV test dates with advertising companies like Localytics and Apptimize for the third parties to use in creating targeted ads. 

Austen Hays also claims that those third parties potentially passed on the sensitive data to fourth parties.

Nearly 700 users have already signed on to the claim, but the law firm said thousands of others may join. The alleged breaches took place between 2018 and 2020, said Austen Hays. 

In a statement provided to Scripps News, a spokesperson for Grindr said the company is committed to protecting users' data and complying with privacy regulations. 

“Grindr has never shared user-reported health information for ‘commercial purposes’ and has never monetized such information,” the spokesperson continued. “We intend to respond vigorously to this claim, which appears to be based on a mischaracterization of practices from more than four years ago, prior to early 2020.”

SEE MORE: House passes bill that could lead to ban of TikTok

Internet retailer Wayfair announced that it plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location next month in a suburb outside Chicago. 

Wayfair said it will open a 150,000-square-foot store in Wilmette, Illinois on May 23. The location will have furniture, home decor, housewares and home improvement products. 

There will also be an on-site restaurant known as The Porch. 

"Get ready to shop, explore, and be inspired like never before," Wayfair said. 

The location will have a design studio, Wayfair said. 

At 150,000 square feet, the first location will be about half the size of a typical Ikea store despite having similar offerings. Ikea, however, has said it plans to open numerous small-format stores across the U.S. that are much smaller than their typical locations. 

Wayfair is not the only internet-based retailer that has tried to transition to in-person shopping. Amazon opened its Amazon Style stores in 2022, featuring some of its popular clothing items. However, its foray into in-person shopping was brief as the stores were shuttered by the end of 2023. 

SEE MORE: Amazon will soon offer its smart grocery carts to other retail stores

Wayfair has undergone some workforce changes in 2024. 

In January, Wayfair announced it would cut 13% of its global workforce, including 19% of its corporate workers, as sales took a nosedive following the pandemic. The cuts impact 1,650 employees.

The furniture and home goods retailer said annualized sales doubled from $9 billion to $18 billion during the pandemic. But that surge was temporary, and its stock value has since plummeted to its lowest level in seven years. 

Clothing retailer Express announced on Monday that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close 95 of its locations throughout the U.S.

The company said those locations would begin having clearance sales Tuesday. 

Additionally, Express announced that all five of its UpWest stores will close. 

Express said a consortium led by WHP Global plans to buy a majority stake in the retailer as part of the bankruptcy process. 

Express said that it has received $35 million in new financing from existing lenders, in addition to $49 million it received from the Internal Revenue Service through CARES Act funding. 

SEE MORE: Has Aldi found the solution to self-checkout's woes?

“We continue to make meaningful progress refining our product assortments, driving demand, connecting with customers and strengthening our operations,” said Stewart Glendinning, Express CEO. “We are taking an important step that will strengthen our financial position and enable Express to continue advancing our business initiatives. WHP has been a strong partner to the Company since 2023, and the proposed transaction will provide us additional financial resources, better position the business for profitable growth and maximize value for our stakeholders.”

Express said remaining locations will keep their existing hours of operation. Gift cards will continue to be honored and there will be no changes to the company's return policy. 

Express operates over 500 locations throughout the U.S., including nearly 200 outlet stores. 

Following is the list of stores closing, according to the company's bankruptcy filing. 

Electric car sales have been making significant strides since 2020.  

Last year alone, sales of electric cars shot up 60% year-over-year, according to MarketWatch data. 

And as more companies fulfill the demand for eco-friendly vehicles, some electric and hybrid cars are standing out among the rest.

U.S. News & World Report — a recognized authority in rankings and consumer advice — came out with its list of best hybrid and electric vehicles for 2024. 

For the third year in a row, the 2024 Lucid Air took the top spot for best luxury electric car. 

Best electric car that isn’t a luxury vehicle went to the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6.

Hyundai led with the most awards, also winning best electric SUV, with the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and best hybrid SUV with the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

The best hybrid car went to the 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid was crowned best luxury hybrid.

Notably absent from the winners list was Tesla, which is interesting given its popularity in the U.S.

Tesla made up more than half of the electric vehicle market share in the U.S. between January and October of last year, with 56.3%, according to MarketWatch. Hyundai, on the other hand, only made up 4.8% of the electric vehicle market share.

For its rankings, U.S. News evaluated 96 luxury and affordable electric and hybrid cars, trucks and SUVs for quality, efficiency and value.

Top-ranked electric and hybrid vehicles:

Best Luxury Electric Car: 2024 Lucid Air 

Best Luxury Electric SUV: 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge 

Best Electric SUV: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 

Best Electric Car: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 

Best Electric Truck: 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning 

Best Luxury Plug-In Hybrid: 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge

Best Plug-In Hybrid: 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid

Best Hybrid Car: 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid 

Best Hybrid SUV: 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid 

Best Luxury Hybrid: 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid 

TikTok will let you mess up once, maybe even a couple times, but repeating your mistakes a little too often is going to cost you.

The social media platform announced Wednesday it's updating its standards for what's allowed on the algorithmically-generated For You feed, which provides users a personalized experience with videos and creators the app believes they would like. 

But come May 17, those who create content the company considers "fine if seen occasionally but problematic if viewed in clusters" won't be eligible to be on it, making their account temporarily ineligible from being on the FYF. TikTok will also make their content harder to find in search, thereby reducing a person's ability to reach a larger audience in multiple ways.

In its announcement, TikTok specified some types of "repetitive content patterns" it will start interrupting to ensure they're viewed less often. Those include "dieting, extreme fitness, sexual suggestiveness, sadness (such as statements of hopelessness, or sharing sad quotes), and overgeneralized mental health information (such as a quiz that claims to diagnose someone)."

Its policy also makes any TikTok users under the age of 16 ineligible from reaching the FYF at any time.

SEE MORE: What is the 'Oatzempic' trend, and are its social media claims true?

Creators who go against TikTok's FYF standards will be given a warning strike on their first violation, but the next will be an actual strike, which can add up to a permanent ban, the app's head of operations and trust and safety, Adam Presser, said in another TikTok blog post.

If users think a mistake has been made in revoking their FYF eligibility or account suspension, they'll be able to appeal, but zero-tolerance policies like age violations or incitement to violence won't get reminders or appeals, Presser wrote.

And if you're now worried you might be close to being banned from the app right now without knowing it, future you won't have to worry. TikTok is rolling out an "Account Check" feature that will allow users to "quickly audit" their last 30 posts to see if they're in danger of any strikes from violations. 

TikTok also released Wednesday a Creator Code of Conduct, which it says will take effect in the coming weeks. Presser said it includes standards the company expects creators involved in its features and campaigns to follow "on and off-platform." 

"We believe that being a part of these programs is an opportunity that comes with additional responsibilities, and this code will also help provide creators with additional reassurance that other participants are meeting these standards too," Presser wrote. 

The revised standards come as TikTok has increasingly come under scrutiny for how it protects its users, particularly younger ones, from harmful content and its effects. 

In November, an Amnesty International investigation found TikTok's FYF draws young people into "rabbit holes" of potentially dangerous content, "including videos that romanticize and encourage depressive thinking, self-harm and suicide." This, its report said, risks worsening existing mental health challenges.

The policy shift also comes as Congress considers a potential nationwide ban of the app unless it separates from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Some lawmakers fear TikTok could become a national security issue if ByteDance had to divest its data on American users because of Chinese law. The bill still needs to clear the Senate.

The United Auto Workers’ ambitious drive to expand its reach to nonunion factories across the South and elsewhere is facing a key test Friday night as workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, finish voting on whether to join the union.

The UAW’s ranks in the auto industry have dwindled over the years as foreign-based companies with nonunion U.S. plants have sold increasingly more vehicles.

Twice in recent years, workers at the Chattanooga plant have rejected union membership. Most recently, they handed the UAW a narrow defeat in 2019 as federal prosecutors were breaking up a bribery-and-embezzlement scandal at the union.

But this time, the UAW is operating under new leadership, directly elected by its members for the first time and basking in a successful confrontation with Detroit's major automakers. The union's pugnacious new president, Shawn Fain, was elected on a platform of cleaning up after the scandal and turning more confrontational with automakers. An emboldened Fain, backed by President Joe Biden, led the union in a series of strikes last fall against Detroit’s automakers that resulted in lucrative new contracts.

The new contracts raised union wages by a substantial one-third, arming Fain and his organizers with enticing new offers to present to workers at Volkswagen and other companies.

“I’m very confident,” said Isaac Meadows, an assembly line worker in Chattanooga who helped lead the union organizing drive at the 3.8 million-square-foot plant, which manufactures Atlas SUVs and ID.4 electric vehicles. “The excitement is really high right now. We’ve put a lot of work into it, a lot of face-to-face conversations with co-workers from our volunteer committee.”

Volkswagen says it is neutral on the issue of whether the plant should be unionized. But in a presentation for reporters this week, the company listed examples of how it pays and treats its Chattanooga workers well.

Six Southern governors, including Tennessee's Bill Lee, warned the workers in a joint statement this week that joining the UAW could cost them their jobs and threaten the region's economic progress.

Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who studies the UAW, said there is a good chance that this election could bring the union a historic victory. Public opinion, Masters said, is now generally more aligned with unions than it was in the past.

To approve membership, though, the workers in Chattanooga will have to look past the warnings that joining the union, with the accompanying higher wages, would lead to job losses. Since the UAW's new contracts were signed in the fall with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, all three companies have cut a relatively small number of factory positions. But Ford CEO Jim Farley has said that his company will have to rethink where it builds future vehicles because of the strike.

“While the UAW's reputation has improved as a result of new leadership and contracts, it's still associated with a decline in the auto industry,” Masters said.

SEE MORE: Postal Service expands employee safety efforts amid thefts, robberies

Shortly after the Detroit contracts were ratified, Volkswagen and other nonunion companies handed their workers big pay raises. Fain characterized those wage increases as the “UAW bump" and asserted that they were intended to keep the union out of the plants.

Last fall, Volkswagen raised production worker pay by 11%, lifting top base wages to $32.40 per hour, or just over $67,000 per year. The average production worker makes about $60,000 a year, excluding benefits and an attendance bonus. VW said its pay exceeds the median household income for the Chattanooga area, which was $54,480 last May, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

But under the UAW contracts, top production workers at GM, for instance, now earn $36 an hour, or about $75,000 a year excluding benefits and profit sharing, which ranged from $10,400 at Ford to $13,860 at Stellantis this year. By the end of the contract in 2028, top-scale GM workers would make over $89,000.

Zach Costello, a worker who trains new employees at the Volkswagen plant, said pay shouldn't be benchmarked against typical wages in the Chattanooga area.

“How about we decide what we're worth, and we get paid what we're worth?” he asked.

VW asserts that its factories are safer than the industry average, based on data reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And the company contends that it considers workers’ preferences in scheduling. It noted that it recently agreed to change the day that third-shift workers start their week so that they have Fridays and Saturdays off.

But Meadows, whose job involves preparing vehicles for the assembly line after the auto bodies are painted, said the company adds overtime or sends workers home early whenever it wants.

“People are just kind of fed up with it,” he said.

VW, he argued, doesn't report all injuries to the government, instead often blaming pre-existing conditions that a worker might have. The union has filed complaints of unfair labor practices, including allegations that the company barred workers from discussing unions during work time and restricted the distribution of union materials.

Volkswagen disputed the union's allegations and said it properly reports injuries and supports the workers' right to vote on union representation.

If the union prevails in the vote at the VW plant, it would mark the first time that the UAW has represented workers at a foreign-owned automaking plant in the South. It would not, however, be the first union auto assembly plant in the South. The UAW represents workers at two Ford assembly plants in Kentucky and two GM factories in Tennessee and Texas, as well as some heavy-truck manufacturing plants.

SEE MORE: Southern governors pressure autoworkers against voting for unions

Apple said it had removed Meta’s WhatsApp messaging app and its Threads social media app from the App Store in China to comply with orders from Chinese authorities.

The apps were removed from the store on Friday after Chinese officials cited unspecified national security concerns. Their removal comes amid elevated tensions between the U.S. and China over trade, technology and national security.

The U.S. has threatened to ban TikTok over national security concerns. But while TikTok, owned by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, is used by millions in the U.S., apps like WhatsApp and Threads are not commonly used in China.

Instead, the messaging app WeChat, owned by Chinese company Tencent, reigns supreme.

SEE MORE: New bill would force TikTok to divest from China, or face US ban

Other Meta apps, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger remained available for download, although use of such foreign apps is blocked in China due to its “Great Firewall” network of filters that restrict use of foreign websites such as Google and Facebook.

“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,” Apple said in a statement.

“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” Apple said.

A spokesman for Meta referred to “Apple for comment.”

Apple, previously the world’s top smartphone maker, recently lost the top spot to Korean rival Samsung Electronics. The U.S. firm has run into headwinds in China, one of its top three markets, with sales slumping after Chinese government agencies and employees of state-owned companies were ordered not to bring Apple devices to work.

Apple has been diversifying its manufacturing bases outside China.

SEE MORE: Most Americans think TikTok is a national security threat, poll finds

Its CEO Tim Cook has been visiting Southeast Asia this week, traveling to Hanoi and Jakarta before wrapping up his travels in Singapore. On Friday he met with Singapore’s deputy prime minister, Lawrence Wong, where they “discussed the partnership between Singapore and Apple, and Apple’s continued commitment to doing business in Singapore.”

Apple pledged to invest over $250 million to expand its campus in the city-state.

Earlier this week, Cook met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, pledging to increase spending on Vietnamese suppliers.

He also met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Cook later told reporters that they talked about Widodo's desire to promote manufacturing in Indonesia, and said that this was something that Apple would “look at".

Netflix has seen a spike in new members in the last year after it implemented changes to limit password sharing.

According to new financial data released by the company, Netflix had 82.7 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada as of the end of March, which was up from 74.4 million a year earlier. 

With average revenue per subscriber increasing by over $1 in the last year, the company raked in $4.2 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2024, an increase from $3.6 billion in the first quarter of 2023. 

In a call with investors, Netflix Co-CEO Gregory Peters said that engagement might be lower due to fewer people sharing a subscription, but the company expects to continue gaining subscribers. 

"Due to the work that we've been doing on password sharing, essentially cutting off some viewers who are not payers, and therefore, we're going to lose some viewing associated with that," Peters said. "So when you see our next engagement report, you are going to see some impact to our overall absolute view hours as a result of that. But despite that impact and despite the general pressure from strong competition, we think our engagement remains healthy. You can see it in terms of the Nielsen ratings and our modest growth in TV time in the United States."

SEE MORE: Disney+ will start its password-sharing crackdown this summer

Although Netflix has seen increased competition over the years in the streaming business, a growing number of consumers are gravitating toward streaming platforms. According to Netflix, 38.5% of U.S. TV viewership is streaming, which is up from 34% a year earlier. In March, 8.1% of all TV viewership was on Netflix's platform. 

Netflix said it hopes new live events will grow its subscriber base. The company plans to stream a live bout this summer between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. The platform also will become the home to WWE Monday Night Raw in 2025. 

"We're going to continue to try a lot of new things," said Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. "But the core of it is, do our members love it? And judging from the early excitement around the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight, there's going to be a lot of people waking up in the middle of the night all over the world to watch this fight in real time.

Netflix developed three different price points. Its least expensive plan, which includes ads, is $6.99. The next tier is $15.49 a month, while the premium plan is $22.99 a month. The two top tiers allow customers to add another subscriber for $7.99 a month. 

Nestle adds sugar to baby formulas and other foods for young children while keeping sugar content lower for the same products in wealthier nations, a new report from the Swiss-based advocacy group Public Eye claims.

In its report titled "How Nestle gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries," Public Eye tested several different products for their added sugar content. Public Eye expressed concerns that added sugar in these products was contributing to an increase in childhood obesity in these developing nations. 

In one example cited, Public Eye compared the added sugar content in Cerelac, a cookie-flavored cereal intended for babies 6 months and older. While Cerelac had no added sugar in products marketed in the U.K. and Germany, Public Eye said products in Thailand had 6 grams of sugar per serving. Cerelac also had 5.2 grams per sugar per serving in Ethiopia, and 4 grams of sugar per serving in South Africa. 

Similarly, the report noted that added sugar was significantly higher in Nido powdered milk sold in Panama and Nicaragua. 

A Nestle spokesperson responded to Public Eye's claims. 

"We apply the same nutrition, health and wellness principles everywhere which are aligned with international guidelines and regulations," a Nestle spokesperson said. "This includes compliance with labeling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content, which encompasses sugars. We communicate transparently about our products to consumers and always declare the total sugar content of the product

"Slight variations in recipes across countries depend on several factors, including regulations, consumer trends, and availability of local ingredients, which can result in offerings with lower or no added sugars. This does not compromise the nutritional value of our products adapted to infants and young children. For example, our range of cereals in Europe comes with and without added sugars. The same applies to several markets across Asia, Latin America and North America, where no-added sugar options are also available to consumers."

SEE MORE: What is the 'Oatzempic' trend, and are its social media claims true?

It should be noted that the products that don't have added sugar may still contain natural sugars, like ones found in milk and fruit. According to the University of California San Diego's School of Medicine, natural sugars are digested more slowly and help keep the metabolism stable. Natural sugars also tend to carry more nutrients like potassium and vitamin C.

The World Health Organization has noted a rise in the number of children who are overweight and obese. The WHO said 37 million children worldwide under the age of 5 were overweight in 2022, and over 390 million children and adolescents ages 5–19 were overweight in 2022. 

The WHO said that while just 2% of children in 1990 were considered obese, that number grew to 8% worldwide in 2022. 

The number of children under age 5 who are overweight in Africa has increased by nearly 23% between 2000 and 2022, the WHO said. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics says children over age 2 should be limited to 25 grams of sugar per day. The organization says, "Avoid serving food and drinks with added sugar to children under 2 years of age."

Starbucks has redesigned its single-use cold drink cups to cut down on plastic waste.

The chain says its cold drinks are surging in popularity; they now account for some 75% of Starbucks' drink sales annually.

This has caused an associated increase in plastic use, so Starbucks has reworked the design of the cups so that they use as much as 20% less plastic.

Now, Starbucks claims, the cups involve less energy and emissions to manufacture, and will help avert more than 13.5 million pounds of plastic waste that would otherwise go to landfills.

Updated cups are expected to roll out in its stores by the end of April.

SEE MORE: Starbucks adds spicy drinks and cold foam to its menu

While the new cups are only meant to be used once before they're recycled, Starbucks has said it wants to make all of its packaging either reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030.

Starbucks wants to start testing an in-house reusable cup system in some markets, which would let consumers pay a deposit for a cup they could reuse at Starbucks stores and later return when it was worn out.

Starbucks this year also started filling personal drink cups during drive-up and mobile service, building on an option that was already available to people who came to the counter.

It's clear Amazon exists in a separate (grocery) lane from most of the marketplace, but it doesn't intend to stay that way.

The company said Tuesday it's begun expanding its Dash Cart to third-party grocers in addition to all of its Amazon Fresh Stores and select Whole Foods Market locations. 

For now, one McKeever's Market and four Price Chopper stores in the Kansas City area have started testing the checkout-free technology, making them the first grocers outside of Amazon and its affiliates — it acquired Whole Foods in 2017 — to do so. And Amazon plans to make the smart carts available in more stores soon, its blog post said.

Amazon first launched its Dash Cart in 2020 only in Amazon Fresh stores. Two years and a redesign later, it introduced the product to select Whole Foods locations, and now another two years later, it's adding more clients to its roster.

The company says the carts — along with its other checkout-free services like Just Walk Out and Amazon One — help make a customers' shopping experience "measurably better" using computer vision, sensor fusion and generative AI. 

These technologies allow customers to weigh and scan as they shop, showing a real-time receipt on a screen that includes all the items in the cart. The company said this particularly helps those who make big weekly shopping trips stick to their budget while offering them personalized shopping recommendations and maps to better navigate their store.

When the customer is done shopping, they leave the store through the Amazon Dash Cart lane, and their receipt should be in their email before they're finished loading the groceries in their car.

The simple process and impressive technology are the same the company used in its Just Walk Out service, which the company recently pulled from all of its U.S. Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores.

The cashierless-checkout technology allows customers to enter a store, grab what they need and walk out, charging them automatically upon exit using cameras and other sensors to tally up their items. It was first used in Amazon's Go stores before the company expanded it to third-party retailers like airports, sports stadiums and entertainment venues in 2020. 

It appears Amazon wants to put that service in a separate aisle from its carts — pun intended — with Dash Carts intended for larger grocery stores giving customers longer receipts, and Just Walk Out being used in small-format stores with "mission-driven" customers. 

Even though Amazon has reduced how many of its own stores use Just Walk Out, the company said in its blog post that the technology will be in more than double the number of third-party stores it's currently in by the end of the year. 

The expansion of both technologies comes weeks after reports circulated claiming Amazon's Just Walk Out was run by more than 1,000 people in India who watched videos to ensure checkouts were working properly, according to one claim from Gizmodo. 

Amazon clarified this in the recent post too, saying "machine learning algorithms" run the technology without "any specific knowledge about the person" but that humans do label and annotate "real shopping data."

"The erroneous reports that Just Walk Out technology relies on human reviewers watching from afar is untrue," the post read. "Associates don't watch live video of shoppers to generate receipts — that's taken care of automatically by the computer vision algorithms. This is no different than any other AI system that places a high value on accuracy, where human reviewers are common."

Just days after being selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is reportedly on the brink of closing a massive, eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike.

Industry sources did not disclose the exact amount the lucrative deal could be worth, but told The Athletic that it's expected to include a signature Caitlin Clark shoe line. 

Clark was already endorsed by Nike in college, but the deal expired at the conclusion of her record-breaking senior year season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now it appears Nike moved quickly to keep Clark on board after she also reportedly received offers from Adidas and Under Armour.

SEE MORE: Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league

This all comes on the heels of controversy surrounding Clark's WNBA salary. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, the basketball phenom is slated to earn about $338,000 over the course of her four-year rookie contract — just pennies on the dollar compared to the $55 million contract given to last year's No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. 

But beyond salary discrepancies, there's no denying the indelible impact Clark has that's transforming women's sports as a whole. 

From drawing the largest women's basketball regular season television audience of the past 25 years, to seeing her rookie jersey fly off store shelves, Clark has made it difficult to ignore the girls. And sponsors are finally starting to catch on, in hopes of profiting from this growing fandom.

In recent months, numerous examples have emerged of retailers curtailing self-checkouts due to a rise in theft and errors. 

Perhaps grocery chain Aldi has found the solution.

This week, Aldi joined Grabango in launching ALDIgo checkout-free shopping at a suburban Chicago store. Grabango said its technology "uses computer vision to identify and keep track of every item in the store," which allows shoppers to leave without waiting in line or scanning items.

The technology was implemented in the Aurora, Illinois, Aldi store without any changes to the grocery's layout. 

The companies say customers fill their carts like normal, and when they are done, can use an app or a pay station as they exit. 

“The launch of ALDIgo is a pivotal moment for the grocery industry,” said Will Glaser, CEO of Grabango. “Although more challenging, it was important to us to launch this technology in a typical store and not one purpose-built for us. Aldi is one of the most innovative retailers in the world, and we are honored to partner with them to give their shoppers an exciting new way to shop the store.”

Aldi claims to be the first major grocery chain to implement the technology. The company said a traditional cashier will remain an option for customers not interested in using ALDIgo. 

“It’s exciting to see a checkout-free capability live in one of our stores, said Eric Traxler, vice president of IT at Aldi. “Aldi is continuously looking for new ways to be innovative and provide a best-in-class experience for our shoppers, and ALDIgo is a great example of that in action.”

Amazon has implemented a similar technology called Just Walk Out for smaller stores. The technology allows customers to buy smaller items, such as candy and soft drinks, without scanning. 

"Just Walk Out technology detects when a shopper’s hand interacts with a product on the shelf. When that happens, machine learning algorithms make sure the correct item is added to the shopper’s virtual cart — all without any specific knowledge about the person," Amazon said. 

SEE MORE: These 10 grocery stores top the list for value, consumers say

There has been growing debate on the value of self-checkouts. Earlier this year, a study in the Journal of Business Research by researchers from Drexel University and the University of San Diego indicated that self-checkouts can damage customer loyalty. 

The study found that as customers are forced to scan more items, their checkout experience becomes less rewarding. The researchers also said that customers experienced negative consequences with larger orders, such as the extra effort to bag purchases. 

The research comes as some stores have opted to roll back self-checkout over concerns of financial losses. In 2023, Costco began policing its self-checkout lanes to catch nonmembers shopping in the store. 

Last month, Target said customers will now be limited to 10 items for self-checkout. With fewer transactions being eligible for self-checkouts, Target says it will open more traditional checkout lanes. 

A woman in Illinois has filed a lawsuit against U.S. retail giant Target accusing the company of allegedly collecting and storing an array of customer data without asking for permission. 

A report on the lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court accuses Target of possibly violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, saying that the company grabbed data from customers including facial recognition information and other biometric data, according to the court filing published by Fox 32. 

Scripps News reached out to Target for comment on the litigation but did not immediately receive a reply. 

SEE MORE: Supreme Court makes suing for job discrimination over transfers easier

According to the court filing, lawyers said that the company "does not notify customers of this fact prior to store entry, nor does it obtain consent" before stores collect and store biometric data on its customers. 

The lawsuit says Target failed to comply with state laws requiring the company to inform customers of data collection, which requires written consent. 

Last year privacy concerns were raised after multiple retailers began introducing palm-scanning technology as a way to pay for goods and services. 

Sanchari Das, a cybersecurity and privacy expert said, "Biometric authentication has been there for a long time." 

Regarding biometric information, Das added, "People have to be all the more careful how it is implemented and how it is stored, and that is something that users don't know."

America's largest plane manufacturer, once a shining standard of engineering and safety, was again under scrutiny Wednesday beneath the lights of a Senate hearing room.

In a nearly two-hour hearing, whistleblowers alleged continued manufacturing missteps at the company and even a "coverup" of important documents related to the blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year.

One current and one former Boeing engineer joined a former Federal Aviation Administration engineer and an aviation safety consultant to tell lawmakers Boeing's safety culture still falls short of a safe standard. 

Sam Salehpour, a current Boeing quality engineer, said he's concerned about what he characterized as safety lapses in the company's 787 and 777 programs.

"Since 2013, there have been serious issues on the 787 program, not properly closing thousands of gaps in its assembly of the fuselage," Salehpour said.

Those same concerns caused a halt to 787 Dreamliner deliveries in 2020 and 2021 before the FAA approved a fix.

On its website Wednesday, Boeing directed visitors to a page on "787 Quality Information." There, the company wrote, "Claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate." The page also noted that testing on the plane "simulated up to 165,000 cycles of pressurization, about 3.75 times the aircraft's designed lifespan, with no findings of airframe fatigue."

In his testimony Wednesday, Salehpour detailed instances of employees forcing misaligned plane parts together. "I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align," he said.

"If his claims are valid, then the potential risk is sort of a long-term risk," David Slotnick, senior aviation business reporter with The Points Guy, said. "It's not like the plane is going to fall apart in the middle of the sky tomorrow. It's more of a scenario where the planes might not last as long as expected, [and] any kind of fatigue that was happening to the structures would be caught during normal maintenance or normal inspections."

SEE MORE: Whistleblower says Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is flawed

Ed Pierson, a prominent Boeing whistleblower and former employee of the company, leveled an accusation of a "coverup" at Boeing of documents related to the Alaska Airlines flight that lost a door plug midflight in January.

The investigation into that incident has so far indicated the door plug that blew out was removed and re-installed at a Boeing facility in September 2023. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that it still has not received any documentation from Boeing about that work. The NTSB Chair told lawmakers last week that Boeing indicated that said documentation does not exist.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this," Pierson said Wednesday. "This is a criminal cover-up. Records do, in fact, exist. I know this because I've personally passed them to the FBI."

Scripps News reached out to the FBI and the NTSB to respond on Wednesday. The FBI declined to comment. The NTSB said it had "not received any such documentation from Boeing or any other entity. Those who have information or documentation that may be relevant to the NTSB's investigation into this accident are encouraged to reach out to investigators."

Scripps News also reached out to Pierson to inquire about whether he's tried to give the NTSB the documentation he says he has. He had not responded Wednesday evening.

Pierson also alleged the NTSB was not a truly "independent" authority, relying too heavily on Boeing and the FAA for information germane to their investigations. In response, the NTSB said, "The NTSB leverages its limited resources by designating organizations as parties that can provide technical information during the fact-gathering phase of the investigation. Once the fact-gathering is completed and the factual record is established, the role of any given party in the investigation is concluded. Parties are excluded from the analysis and report-writing phase of all NTSB investigations."

Boeing says it is in the process of implementing recommendations from an FAA panel that, over the last year, audited the company's safety culture. It also told Scripps News it has seen a 500% increase in employee reports through its internal whistleblowing portal, "which signals progress toward a robust reporting culture that is not fearful of retaliation," they said.

For its part, the FAA has a relatively new administrator, Mike Whitaker. In an interview with Scripps News in January, just before the Alaska Airlines blowout, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Whitaker was working with her to change the agency's approach to pilot mental health care. Slotnick thinks that the same attitude extends to the safety oversight of Boeing.

"I think the FAA that we see today is a very different organization," he said. "The FAA is adamant that it thoroughly investigates every whistleblower complaint. You know, their track record suggests that's exactly true."

Thousands of autoworkers at a Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen plant began voting to unionize this week in a test to see if the most recent winning streak of the United Automobile Workers union might continue, spelling possible big changes ahead for the industry in the United States. 

In March workers at the Tennessee plant requested to vote in a first test of the UAW's power to organize there, and in other automobile plants across the country. 

On Tuesday, Gov. Bill Lee joined five other southern governors trying to convince workers that voting to unionize would put their jobs at risk. Around 4,300 workers at the Tennessee VW plant started voting the next day, with results expected to be counted by the National Labor Relations Board on Friday night. 

Forty-eight-year-old Kelcey Smith, who has been at the Chattanooga VW plant for a year, told the New York Times, "The energy is high. I think we are going to nail it."

In February, UAW announced a $40 million "commitment to organizing auto and battery workers" that would span two years of campaigning. UAW's international executive board voted to commit the significant funding to help organize the many new workers anticipated at battery and auto plants.

More than a dozen nonunion auto plants have been eyed by UAW including plants operated by Hyundai, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Kia, Toyota and Honda. 

SEE MORE: President Biden heads to Pittsburgh, calls for higher steel tariffs

Reuters reported that it would be the third time 4,300 employees at the Chattanooga VW plant have been under unionize efforts guided by UAW and committees. The plant assembles VW's ID.4 electric SUV. 

The latest UAW efforts are seen as a push to gain more public support for unions and have more plants outside of the Detroit-owned automakers unionize. The UAW is also working under the support of the Biden administration after President Joe Biden walked with United Auto Workers last year in a picket line calling for higher pay. 

President Biden told the workers on the 12th day of their strike, "You deserve what you earned and you earned a hell of a lot more than what you're getting paid now."

California is about to be on bo time! Bojangles, a fast-food chain known for its Southern-style biscuits and chicken, is expanding to the West Coast for the first time. 

The North Carolina-based restaurant franchise has largely kept to the East Coast since it was founded in 1977. 

However, Bojangles announced Monday it has entered an agreement with an entrepreneur to bring 30 restaurants to Los Angeles County as early as 2025. 

Bojangles has over 800 locations as it looks to expand more. In March, the company announced plans to open 20 locations in Phoenix, Arizona as part of its westward expansion. 

Prior to that, the chain had only gone as far west as Texas from its Carolina roots. 

The menu features freshly made biscuits, breakfast sandwiches typically served all day, fried chicken, sweet tea and a variety of sides including mac and cheese, green beans, dirty rice, cajun pinto beans and “bo-tato” rounds.

The company said while it works with Poulet Brothers, LLC to open the restaurants in Los Angeles, they are open to more franchising opportunities in other “prime areas” of California. 

Bojangles said it encourages a potential franchisee to open a minimum of 5 to 10 locations in a particular market. 

Your move, San Diego, Bay Area and Sacramento.

SEE MORE: California fast food workers now make $20 minimum wage

Meow Wolf, the company known for its immersive and interactive art displays, is planning to lay off 165 employees company-wide, according to an internal memo sent Monday.

The company confirmed the cuts to Scripps News Denver, saying the move impacts 111 employees across the exhibitions and corporate team as well as 54 bargaining unit positions in Las Vegas, Nevada. Meow Wolf also has locations in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico.

SEE MORE: Las Vegas Meow Wolf exhibit adds mystery to the mundane

"When we opened our first exhibitions, we were inventing an operating model from scratch. Over the past three years, we’ve developed a better understanding of our guests and what we need to staff and support our exhibitions in order to make the most of the growth opportunities ahead, including our Houston location that opens later this year," Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa said in a statement. "Saying goodbye to friends and colleagues who have been a big part of Meow Wolf’s success to date will not be easy. We are grateful for their contributions, both creatively and to our community. And we are committed to supporting everyone through this transition as we move forward.”

Meow Wolf expects the layoffs to cut business expenses by 10%. Meanwhile, the company is moving forward with its newest location in Houston, which is expected to open later this year.

This story was originally published by Sydney Isenberg at Scripps News Denver.

On the eve of a vote on union representation at Volkswagen's Tennessee factory, Gov. Bill Lee and five other southern governors are telling workers that voting for a union will put jobs in jeopardy.

About 4,300 workers at VW's plant in Chattanooga will start voting Wednesday on representation by the United Auto Workers union. Vote totals are expected to be tabulated Friday night by the National Labor Relations Board.

The union election is the first test of the UAW's efforts to organize nonunion auto factories nationwide following its success winning big raises last fall after going on strike against Detroit automakers Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis.

The governors said in a statement Tuesday that they have worked to bring good-paying jobs to their states.

“We are seeing in the fallout of the Detroit Three strike with those automakers rethinking investments and cutting jobs,” the statement said. “Putting businesses in our states in that position is the last thing we want to do.”

Lee said in a statement that Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have signed on to the statement. The offices of Abbott, Ivey, Kemp and Reeves confirmed their involvement, and McMaster posted the statement on his website.

The governors said they want to continue to grow manufacturing in their states, but a successful union drive will “stop this growth in its tracks, to the detriment of American workers.”

The UAW declined comment.

SEE MORE: UAW endorses Biden as field narrows in 2024 race for the White House

After a series of strikes against Detroit automakers last year, UAW President Shawn Fain said it would simultaneously target more than a dozen nonunion auto plants including those run by Tesla, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda, and others.

The drive covers nearly 150,000 workers at factories largely in the South, where the union thus far has had little success in recruiting new members.

Earlier this month a majority of workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, filed papers with the NLRB to vote on UAW representation.

The UAW pacts with Detroit automakers include 25% pay raises by the time the contracts end in April of 2028. With cost-of-living increases, workers will see about 33% in raises for a top assembly wage of $42 per hour, or more than $87,000 per year, plus thousands in annual profit sharing.

VW said Tuesday that its workers can make over $60,000 per year not including an 8% attendance bonus. The company says it pays above the median household income in the area.

Volkswagen has said it respects the workers’ right to a democratic process and to determine who should represent their interests. “We will fully support an NLRB vote so every team member has a chance to vote in privacy in this important decision,” the company said.

Some workers at the VW plant, who make Atlas SUVs and ID.4 electric vehicles, said they want more of a say in schedules, benefits, pay and more.

The union has come close to representing workers at the VW plant in two previous elections. In 2014 and 2019, workers narrowly rejected a factorywide union under the UAW.

SEE MORE: Why is union support so important in politics?

The Department of Justice is about to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, parent company of Ticketmaster, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

The WSJ said DOJ's lawsuit will allege that Ticketmaster "has leveraged its dominance in a way that undermined competition for ticketing live events, according to people familiar with the matter."

Live Nation has drawn scrutiny for charging exorbitant fees and surcharges for ticket sales, with ticket prices often far exceeding face value. Live Nation has faced congressional scrutiny for its practices. 

The two companies merged in 2010 after the DOJ decided to not to block the merger as long as Ticketmaster would license its ticket software and divest ticketing assets to two different companies — Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and either Comcast-Spectacor or another suitable buyer. The DOJ said that these measures would create some competition in the ticketing market and help keep prices reasonable for consumers. 

But in the years since, there has been growing frustration over Ticketmaster's ticket-selling policies by both fans and promoters. Those frustrations exploded in late 2022 when thousands of Taylor Swift fans struggled to buy tickets for her 2023 The Eras Tour concerts. 

SEE MORE: 'Taylor Swift Act' would target ticket scalpers

Live Nation Executive Vice President Dan Wall recently authored a blog defending Live Nation's ticket pricing policies. His post came as federal officials have discussed implementing new rules eliminating so-called "junk fees," making companies post their "all-in" price. 

"The argument that Ticketmaster is responsible for high prices is really about service charges. The practice in the U.S. for decades has been to break down the cost of admission into a 'face value' sum and one or more fees added to face value. There is a common perception that service charges are 'junk fees' and that Ticketmaster sets the fees and pockets the money," he wrote. "Again, that’s not true.

"Service charges are added to the face value of concert tickets because two important players in the concert ecosystem — venues and primary ticketing companies — get little or nothing out of the revenues derived from the ticket’s face value. That money goes mostly to the performers, secondarily to cover certain show costs, and if anything is left over to the promoters. So, the practice developed to add a percentage service charge to a ticket’s face value to pay the venue for hosting the event and the primary ticketing company for servicing venues and distributing tickets."

Wall said that supply and demand largely dictates ticket prices, and that the demand for tickets to see an artist like Swift far exceeds the supply, which drives up ticket prices. 

Roku has been hit by another cyberattack, this time affecting nearly 40 times more accounts than did a similar incident earlier this year. 

The streaming company said Friday that it had identified a second security breach involving 576,000 customers as it was monitoring account activity after the first cyberattack, which affected 15,363 accounts.

In both incidents, Roku said hackers used a tactic known as "credential stuffing," meaning the unauthorized actors took username and password combinations leaked in other breaches to attempt to log into Roku's platform. This method targets those who use the same login information on multiple platforms, so it wasn't an attack on or within the Roku system itself.

"There is no indication that Roku was the source of the account credentials used in these attacks or that Roku's systems were compromised in either incident," the company said in a statement.

In fewer than 400 cases of breached accounts, hackers used stored payment information to purchase streaming service subscriptions and Roku hardware products, but the company said sensitive information like full credit card numbers was not accessed.

The announcement comes just over a month after Roku announced its first data breach of the year. On March 8, the company told impacted customers that hackers had changed some users' login credentials and, in certain cases, made purchases with stored payment data. Bleeping Computer reported then that the fraudsters were selling stolen account data for as little as $0.50 on a hacking marketplace, giving buyers access to the stored financial data on each profile. 

SEE MORE: Roku data breach compromises 15,363 accounts. Here's what to know

The company said it has since forced a password reset for the 591,363 accounts affected in the two breaches, and it's refunding or reversing the purchases hackers made on customer accounts. 

But Roku is also enacting a new security step for all users, not just those whose data was involved in the breach. All accounts are now fitted with two-factor authentication, requiring users to click on an emailed verification link anytime they try to log into their Roku account.

The company said it's notified those who were impacted in the breach, but still, it recommends all Roku users make sure they have strong, unique passwords and that they stay vigilant and informed about suspicious activity or known data breaches. 

"We sincerely regret that these incidents occurred and any disruption they may have caused," the company said in a statement. "Your account security is a top priority, and we are committed to protecting your Roku account."

The overall number of impacted users is small when compared to Roku's 80 million active accounts. However, the brunt of the attack was still felt within the company, as its stock came down nearly 3% since announcing the breach, per CNN and Reuters.

A new report from KPMG, a professional services organization, indicates that CEOs are exploring ways to keep their employees from experiencing burnout. In fact, a full 30% say they are considering schedule shifts, such as shortening the workweek from five days to four or 4 1/2 days.

The 2024 KPMG CEO Outlook Pulse Survey analyzed insights from more than 100 company executives on the challenges and opportunities their businesses currently face. These include subjects such as the use of AI, new governmental regulations designed to mitigate climate change, tax policy changes, supply chain issues, tight labor markets and more.

When it comes to retaining talent and creating a thriving company culture, 74% of CEOs said they were working on initiatives designed to improve their workers' mental health. A majority of those surveyed noted that they are considering generative AI solutions along with trainings and the strengthening of personal relationships with co-workers, while almost a third are open to the idea of organization-wide schedule changes, such as four-day workweeks.

"We are all working to figure out what is optimal, and we will continue to experiment and pivot," Paul Knopp, chair and CEO of KPMG US, told CNN.

This may be welcome news to a majority of Americans. In a Gallup/Bentley University poll from late last year that surveyed 3,200 workers, a full 77% said they believed a four-day 40-hour workweek would benefit their well-being.

SEE MORE: Do 4-day workweeks work? Companies share their impact 1 year later

Some studies and early adopters have indicated positive results from moving to this model; a recent trial of 2,900 workers found that the four-day workweek increased job satisfaction, reduced employee stress, improved work-life balance, and showed an uptick in product quality and customer service. In fact, 92% of the 61 U.K. companies in the study decided to continue with the four-day workweek experiment even after it ended.

The movement has recently gained more steam in the U.S. as Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders last month introduced legislation to move nationally to a four-day workweek. His version is a touch more radical, as it wants to reduce the workweek to 32 hours.

"It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life," Sanders said in a statement. "It is time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay."

However, Gallup experts and others caution that, based on the results of previous studies, four-day workweeks don't work for everyone in every situation. For example, while finance workers may benefit, health care workers and trade workers may not. 

The four-day workweek remains an experiment for many. Still, some say we could see the reduced workweek become normalized within five to 10 years.

As for the companies that might resist the four-day model? Well, some CEOs are becoming more bullish on hybrid attendance, too. In 2023, 34% of them agreed that hybrid workplaces were the way to go; in 2024, that number is up to 46%. Hopefully, this all means that job culture will become more worker-friendly in the near future.

This story was originally published by Helen Lee at Simplemost.com.

Google on Friday began removing California news websites from some people's search results, a test that acted as a threat should the state Legislature pass a law requiring the search giant to pay media companies for linking to their content.

Google announced the move in a blog post on Friday, calling it a "short-term test for a small percentage of users ... to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience.” The company said it also would pause new investments in the California news industry, including the partnership initiative with news organizations and its product licensing program.

“By helping people find news stories, we help publishers of all sizes grow their audiences at no cost to them. (This bill) would up-end that model,” Jaffer Zaidi, Google's vice president for global news partnerships, wrote in the blog post.

The California Legislature is considering a bill that would require tech giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft to pay a certain percentage of advertising revenue to media companies for linking to their content. How much the companies would have to pay would be decided by a panel of three judges through an arbitration process.

The bill aims to stop the loss of journalism jobs, which have been disappearing rapidly as legacy media companies have struggled to profit in the digital age. More than 2,500 newspapers have closed in the U.S. since 2005, according to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. California has lost more than 100 news organizations in the past decade, according to Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, the bill’s author.

SEE MORE: Meta threatens to block news content in California if bill passes

"This is a bill about basic fairness — it’s about ensuring that platforms pay for the content they repurpose,” Wicks said. “We are committed to continuing negotiations with Google and all other stakeholders to secure a brighter future for California journalists and ensure that the lights of democracy stay on.”

The state Assembly passed the bill last year with bipartisan support despite fierce opposition and lobbying efforts from big tech companies. The California Senate would have to pass it later this year for it to become law.

Supporters said the legislation would help level the playing field between news publishers and large digital platforms and provide a “lifeline” to local news organizations, which rely heavily on Google's search engine to distribute its content in the digital era. While Google's search engine has become the hub of a digital advertisement empire that generates more than $200 billion annually, news publishers saw their advertising revenues nosedive significantly in the last few decades.

But opponents, including Google, Meta and some independent newsrooms, call the legislation a “link tax” that would primarily benefit out-of-state newspaper chains and hedge funds and further decimate local news organizations. Richard Gingras, Google's vice president of news, also told state lawmakers, in a hearing last December, that Google already made significant contributions to support local journalism, pointing to the tech giant's financial grants and training to nearly 1,000 local publications in 2023, among other programs.

Google's search engine should be seen as “the largest newsstand on Earth,” Gingras said, where it helps connect users to news websites more than 24 billion times per month. Google's search engine holds an estimated 90% share of the market.

“This traffic in turn helps publishers make money by showing ads or attracting new subscribers,” he said, adding that it's estimated that each click on a link from Google is worth 5 cents to 7 cents to a news website.

SEE MORE: Where Gen Z gets its news: Social media

Google's decision to temporarily remove links to news websites is not a new tactic for tech giants to use when pushing back on unwanted legislation. When Canada and Australia passed similar laws to promote journalism, Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram — responded by blocking content from Canadian publishers on its sites in Canada. The company made similar threats to U.S. Congress and California lawmakers last year. Google had threatened to do the same in Canada. But in November, Google agreed to pay 100 million Canadian dollars ($74 million U.S. dollars) to the news industry.

News publishers would suffer and could lay off more journalists if Google completely blocks content from its search, but experts say Google also would take a financial hit without news content.

“Google would be damaging itself enormously if it decided to stop using newspaper content,” Brandon Kressin, an antitrust attorney representing News Media Alliance and other news publishers, told lawmakers in a December hearing. “They would be cutting off their nose to spite their own face.”

The political wrangling over Google’s dominant search engine can throttle access to various news sources comes against the backdrop of legal trouble that could culminate in decisions that undercut the company’s internet empire.

After presenting evidence to support its allegations that Google has been abusing its power to stifle competition and innovation during the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department will present its closing arguments next month to a federal judge who is expected to issue a decision in the case later this year.

Following another antitrust trial that ended in December, a federal jury concluded Google had turned its app store for smartphones running on its Android software into an illegal monopoly that limited consumer choices while enriching the company through unfairly high commissions charged for in-app purchases. A hearing on the changes that Google will have to make resulting from that verdict is also scheduled to occur next month.

California has attempted to boost local journalism through various initiatives, including a $25 million multiyear, state-funded program in partnership with UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to place 40 early-career journalists in local newsrooms annually. Lawmakers are also considering another proposal that would expand tax credits for local news organizations this year.

Airbnb wants more renters to be able to share their homes. In a statement posted on the company's site Friday, it said it is advocating for communities around the U.S. to adopt short-term rental policies that apply to renters and not just homeowners. 

Airbnb said not allowing renters to list their homes on the app and website is preventing a large part of the population from earning supplemental income. 

“Homeownership should not be a barrier to entry when it comes to sharing your home,” said Airbnb’s North America Policy Director Mike Signer in a statement. “The vast majority of hosts in the U.S. share their space to help cover the rising cost of living, and we want to partner with cities to develop sensible short-term rental policies that grant renters the opportunity to do the same.”

The company plans to work with cities and states to encourage them to adopt “renter-friendly short-term rental policies.” 

Cities like San Diego and Raleigh, North Carolina, have already passed these types of policies, Airbnb said. 

Most apartments and rental homes have stipulations in their lease agreements that forbid tenants from listing their homes, or part of their homes, on short-rental sites like Airbnb and Vrbo. For landlords, there are concerns about short-term guests not being responsible or respectful while staying at their properties, which could lead to an insurance nightmare. 

Although Airbnb has its AirCover protection policy that is designed to help hosts with damage protection and liability insurance, it's not an insurance policy. 

There have also been short-term rental horror stories, like a woman in Los Angeles who was notoriously dubbed the “tenant from hell” after allegedly living rent-free at an Airbnb home for 575 days because of loopholes in the local rental laws. 

Even if landlords allow their tenants to host short-term guests, the individual cities and counties they’re in might not. Popular destination cities like Charleston, South Carolina, restrict short-term rentals exclusively to homeowners and have implemented strict regulations for them.

In some cases, renters who want to host on Airbnb might have to apply for a special license or pay additional fees and taxes to their local government. 

But Airbnb said home-sharing shouldn’t just be for homeowners — especially when renters are more likely to need the supplemental income, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. 

The company has also pledged a $100,000 donation to the Flagstone Initiative, a nonprofit that helps prevent renters who are struggling financially from getting evicted. 

SEE MORE: Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras in listings across the world

The Biden administration announced billions of dollars in new funding for Samsung Electronics to boost U.S. computer chip production.

The White House announced Monday that it has reached an agreement with the South Korea-based company to provide $6.4 billion in direct federal funding to develop a semiconductor manufacturing cluster in central Texas. The grant is part of President Joe Biden's CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law in 2022 to boost domestic development of chip manufacturing facilities.

SEE MORE: Program helps students become semiconductor technicians in 10 days

The Commerce Department said the new funding, paired with private money, is expected to exceed $40 billion of investment in the region that will be split across several projects in Taylor, Texas, and Austin, Texas. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the investment will also help create tens of thousands of "good-paying" jobs.

"Proposed CHIPS investments like the ones we are announcing today will be a catalyst for continued private sector investments to help secure the long-term stability we need to put America at the beginning of our semiconductor supply chain and to safeguard a strong resilient ecosystem here at home," Raimondo said in a statement. "The chips that Samsung will be making in Texas are important components to our most advanced technologies, from artificial intelligence to high-performance computing and 5G communications."

Right now, more than 90% of advanced chips come from Taiwan, which officials have framed as an economic and national security risk for the U.S. The chips are used in everything from consumer goods and vehicles to military applications. 

A Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death Thursday in the country's biggest ever financial fraud case, a shocking development in an intensifying anti-corruption drive in the Southeast Asian nation.

Truong My Lan, a high-profile businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022. The 67-year-old was formally charged with fraud amounting to $12.5 billion — nearly 3% of the country’s 2022 GDP.

Death sentences are not uncommon in Vietnam, but it is a rare sentence in financial crime cases and for someone this well known.

SEE MORE: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter charged with bank fraud in betting case

Lan was born in 1956 and started out helping sell cosmetics with her mother, a Chinese businesswoman, in Ho Chi Minh city's oldest market, according to state media outlet Tien Phong.

She and her family established the Van Thinh Phat company in 1992, when Vietnam shed its state-run economy in favor of a more market-oriented one that was open to foreigners. Over the years VTP grew to become one of Vietnam's richest real estate firms.

Today the company is linked to some of Ho Chi Minh's most valuable downtown properties including the glittering 39-story Times Square Saigon, the five-star Windsor Plaza Hotel, the 37-story Capital Place office building and the five-star Sherwood Residence hotel where Lan lived until her arrest.

Lan met her husband, Hong Kong investor Eric Chu Nap-kee, in 1992. They have two daughters.

Lan was involved in the 2011 merger of the beleaguered Saigon Joint Commercial Bank, or SCB, with two other lenders in a plan coordinated by Vietnam’s central bank.

She is accused of using the bank as her cash cow, illegally controlling it between 2012 to 2022, and using thousands of "ghost companies" in Vietnam and abroad to give loans to herself and her allies, according to government documents.

The loans resulted in losses of $27 billion, state media VN Express reported Thursday.

She was accused of paying bribes to government officials — including a former central official who has been sentenced to life in prison for taking $5.2 million in bribes — and violating banking regulations, government documents said.

The court sentenced her to death, saying her actions "not only violate the property management rights of individuals but also pushed SCB into a state of special control, eroding people's trust in the leadership of the [Communist] party and state."

Lan's arrest in October 2022 is among the most high-profile in an ongoing anti-corruption drive in Vietnam that has ramped up since 2022.

Weeks after her trial started in early March, former President Vo Van Thuong resigned after being implicated in the so-called "Blazing Furnace" campaign that has been the hallmark of Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the country's most powerful politician.

While Lan's arrest and the scale of the scam shocked the nation, the case also raised questions about whether other banks or businesses had similarly erred, dampening Vietnam's economic outlook and making foreign investors jittery.

This is happening as Vietnam tries to argue its case for being the ideal home for businesses trying to move away from neighboring China.

The White House said U.S. small business applications have surpassed 17 million new filings since President Joe Biden took office.

In a statement on Thursday, U.S. Small Business Administration head Isabel Casillas Guzman called it a "historic small business boom."

The federal government said earlier this year that average monthly new businesses applications were 440,000 for the first three years of the Biden administration.

In March, Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration had set a goal of increasing federal contracts for minority-owned businesses by 50%. The vice president made the remarks at an event in North Carolina focused on growing small businesses. 

SEE MORE: Harris promises 50% increase goal in contracts for minority businesses

The administration made the announcement while touting what it calls record job creation and "cooling inflation."

On Thursday a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that U.S. producer prices increased for the 12-month period ending in March by their largest year-over-year hike since April of last year. 

According to U.S. government data, in the last year, "Americans across the country and in a wide range of industries filed a record 5 1/2 million new business applications, bringing the total number under this administration to a record-breaking 16 million."

Census Bureau data shows that Black-owned businesses increased by around 13% between 2017 to 2020. Between 2017 and 2021, their revenues jumped by 43%, Scripps News reported. 

For months, investigative reporter Katie LaGrone with Scripps News Tampa has shared what teachers describe as specific reasons driving them out of the profession.

But now, she is sharing the story of how one woman is helping some of these teachers find a new start away from the classroom.

“I’m not trying to convince teachers to leave; I’m helping those who want change.”

You might call Lisa Harding a teacher’s teacher.

She spent years as CEO of an online teacher training and development company and was even born into the profession.

“I came from a family of teachers. My parents both met teaching in middle school,” she explained.

So, it got our attention when Harding told us that after 15 years of working to place educators in the classroom, she stumbled on her latest venture, which is squarely focused on helping teachers get out.

“Teachers started reaching out to me asking for help making a career transition into the field that I just left, and I couldn't keep up with the demand,” she explained, adding how the opportunity that was right in front of her posed a personal dilemma.

“I kind of had a moral, ethical question to ask myself, but I realized I’m not trying to convince teachers to leave the classroom; I’m just helping those that want to make a change and giving them the skills that they need to do so,” she said.

Harding and her business partner moved forward, starting the Teacher Career Transition Academy.

It’s an online subscription-based program that offers a step-by-step approach to helping educators switch careers.

Services include a wide range of help, from rewriting resumes to make them less teacher-focused to specialized coaching on negotiating salaries that are above average teacher pay. Annual membership is $500, and members can pay a monthly $57 charge.

“We've had teachers that, since they've left, they've already been promoted or gotten new jobs, and they've doubled their teaching salary within 12 months. It's pretty wild,” Harding said.

Sign of the times

Her company is a sign of the times as Florida struggles to hire new teachers or keep the ones it has.

Last school year, more than 18,000 Florida teachers resigned, representing about 10% of the state’s publicly employed teachers at the time.

Our recent investigation found that some of the top reasons teachers decided to leave the profession included pay, politics, student behavior and overall burnout.

A principal's story

“I absolutely thought I was a lifer. I loved my job, and I think probably if COVID didn't hit, I would still be a principal,” said Michelle Auger, who’s among the thousands of Florida educators who have left the industry in the last few years.

Auger spent her entire professional career, more than 35 years, in education.

Most recently, she was a principal at an elementary school near Tampa.

But after watching her own teaching staff burn out, “it was just so disheartening to me. I think that's really the bottom line for me,” she explained about what ultimately led her to leave.

Auger signed up with the Career Teacher Transition Academy to help revamp her resume by highlighting skills she used every day on campus but didn’t know how to sell outside the profession.

“Project management is probably the biggest one of all. As an administrator, that was one I never would have thought to even put on there, but I’m like, gosh, I do that every day, all day,” she explained about Harding’s services.

Today, Auger is the educational program coordinator for a camp in central Florida. She describes it as a dream job and credits Harding’s company for helping her as the pressures of teaching in Florida continue to leave so many exploring life outside the classroom and how to get there.

“I’m not going anywhere. There's definitely a niche here,” said Harding. I think teachers are going to start to see more and more of their peers thriving in careers beyond the classroom, where they have more flexibility, better working conditions, and better pay. This is only the beginning,” she said.

This story was originally published by Katie LaGrone at Scripps News Tampa.

Tired of opening your internet bill and trying to figure out precisely what you’re paying for each month? You’re not alone, and the federal government now requires internet service providers to be more transparent with their fees.

A new Federal Communications Commission rule that just went into effect mandates ISPs to provide an easy-to-read breakdown of internet fees. And, the new graphic has a familiar look: a nutrition label.

Whether you’re opening your next bill or visiting an internet provider’s store, you will find this new visual aid that looks almost identical to what you see on food packaging.

The new internet “nutrition label” comes from a 2023 FCC ruling with the promise to help consumers receive “easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost and performance of broadband services.”

“Consumers will finally get information they can use to comparison shop, avoid junk fees, and make informed choices about which high-speed internet service is the best fit for their needs and budget,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the ruling’s press release.

The April 10 deadline applies to internet service providers with at least 100,000 subscribers. Smaller ISPs have until Oct. 10 to meet the new requirement, according to the FCC broadband label fact sheet.

While the new label provides a quick glance at broadband fees, it can be tricky to navigate some of the terms listed on the label. Terms like introductory rates, monthly price, length of contract and early termination fees are common in our everyday language. However, the label also has line items that may leave some customers scratching their heads, like “pass-through fees.”

We had no idea what that meant. So we looked it up on the FCC’s helpful glossary (which is also available in Spanish) on their internet label information page. All of the terms listed on the new labels are included on this reference page.

By the way, a “pass-through fee” simply means extra fees related to government programs (universal service or regulatory fees) that providers “pass through” to their customers.

While we may not be able to avoid all those fees, at least now these labels will keep us informed about what our internet provider is charging us for and give us more power to comparison shop.

This story originally appeared on Simplemost.

Think you're fit enough to physically protect some of the nation's top officials? If your answer is yes, let's see how many pushups you can do in a minute.

The Central Intelligence Agency is seeking "executive protective agents" to provide "24/7/365 armed protection" to leaders worldwide, according to an official job posting. The selected candidates will be expected to work with foreign security officials, operate security vehicles, analyze threats and use weapons to get the job done.

These "strenuous" demands necessitate a physically, mentally and emotionally fit applicant, the posting states. And though testing the latter two could prove difficult, there's a clear list of prerequisites you must pass to complete the physical portion.

That list of prerequisites includes five exercises, which you must pass before getting the CIA job and on an annual basis thereafter. The requirements are:

- A minimum of 18 pushups in 1 minute

- A minimum of 27 situps in 1 minute

- Run 1.5 miles in 15 minutes, 20 seconds or less

- Run a 300-meter dash in 1 minute, 8 seconds or less

- Do a 180-pound dummy-drag in 2 minutes or less

SEE MORE: The CIA starts a new in-your-face recruiting method for Russians

If you still think you have what it takes, you'll also need to be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, willing to move to the Washington, D.C. area, registered for the Selective Service and able to complete security and medical evaluations, the job posting says.

Plus, minimum qualifications say preferred applicants will at least have completed a bachelor's degree with a 3.0 GPA or higher, "excellent teamwork and decision making skills," and "high levels of trustworthiness, integrity and loyalty to the United States." 

Military, security or law enforcement work history is a plus, too. And a higher experience level could get you the top of the starting salary range — $122,459 — versus the bottom — $66,654.

But it's not about the money, according to the agency. 

"As a CIA employee, you'll also get the satisfaction of knowing your work is part of something bigger than yourself," the job posting reads. "Our work is driven by one mission: to keep our Nation safe. Every day is an opportunity to enhance U.S. national security."

Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall remedy does not include repairing the fuel leaks.

The recall covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from 2022. All have 1.5-liter engines.

Ford says in documents filed with U.S. safety regulators that fuel injectors can crack, and gasoline or vapor can accumulate near ignition sources, possibly touching off fires.

Dealers will install a tube to let gasoline flow away from hot surfaces to the ground below the vehicle. They’ll also update engine control software to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. If that happens, the software will disable the high-pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment, according to documents posted Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Owners were to be notified by letter starting April 1.

The company says in documents it has reports of five under-hood fires and 14 warranty replacements of fuel injectors, but no reports of crashes or injuries.

In an email, Ford said it is not replacing fuel injectors because it is confident the recall repairs “will prevent the failure from occurring and protect the customer.” The new software also will trigger a dashboard warning light and allow customers to drive to a safe location, stop the vehicle and arrange for service, the company said. NHTSA documents filed by Ford say the problem happens only in about 1% of the SUVs.

The company also said it will extend warranty coverage for cracked fuel injectors, so owners who experience the problem will get replacements. Ford said repairs are already available, and details of the extended warranty will be available in June.

Ford said the recall is an extension of a 2022 recall for the same problem. The repair has already been tested on vehicles involved in the previous recall, and Ford said it's not aware of any problems.

The company also said it isn't recommending that the SUVs be parked only outdoors because there's no evidence that fires happen when vehicles are parked and the engines are off.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, called Ford's remedy for the fuel leaks a “Band-aid type recall” and said the company is trying to avoid the cost of repairing the fuel injectors.

A 1% failure rate, he said, is high, and even with the repairs, drivers still could be forced to exit a freeway at a low speed, placing them at risk of a crash.

NHTSA, he said, should do more to make sure recalls fix the root causes of vehicle problems rather than making less-costly repairs.

In the past, NHTSA has said it does not have legal authority to pre-approve recall fixes. But in a statement Wednesday, the agency said it will “closely track their performance using field data.” The agency said owners who have questions should contact their dealership or Ford.

Brooks said Congress should change the law so the agency can “require something more than the rubber stamp that NHTSA is currently deploying” on recalls.

The agency, he said, has been more aggressive of late in investigating recall fixes. “That is a post-remedy inquiry that won't make the fixes better, and further stretches out the process and leaves consumers in limbo,” he said.

SEE MORE: Tesla settles lawsuit over fatal crash involving self-driving software

Tesla has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a Silicon Valley engineer who died in a crash while relying on the company's semi-autonomous driving software.

The size of the settlement was not disclosed in court documents filed Monday, just a day before the trial stemming from the 2018 crash on a San Francisco Bay Area highway was scheduled to begin.

The family of Walter Huang filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit in 2019 seeking to hold Tesla — and, by extension, its CEO Elon Musk — liable for repeatedly exaggerating the capabilities of Tesla's self-driving car technology. They claimed the technology, dubbed Autopilot, was promoted in egregious ways that caused vehicle owners to believe they didn't have to remain vigilant while they were behind the wheel.

Evidence indicated that Huang was playing a video game on his iPhone when he crashed into a concrete highway barrier on March 23, 2018.

SEE MORE: Tesla sales falter as the US electric vehicle market cools off

After dropping his son off at preschool, Huang activated the Autopilot feature on his Model X for his commute to his job at Apple. But less than 20 minutes later, Autopilot veered the vehicle out of its lane and began to accelerate before barreling into a barrier located at a perilous intersection on a busy highway in Mountain View, California. The Model X was still traveling at more than 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour).

Huang, 38, died at the gruesome scene, leaving behind his wife and two children, now 12 and 9 years old.

The case was just one of about a dozen scattered across the U.S. raising questions about whether Musk's boasts about the effectiveness of Tesla's autonomous technology fosters a misguided faith in the company's Autopilot and Full Self Driving, or FSD, mode. The U.S. Justice Department also opened an inquiry last year into how Tesla and Musk promote its autonomous technology, according to regulatory filings that didn't provide many details about the nature of the probe.

Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas, prevailed last year in a Southern California trial focused on whether misperceptions about Tesla's Autopilot feature contributed to a driver in a 2019 crash involving one of the company's cars.

The future of Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis has garnered concern and debate in recent weeks after the City Council voted last month to require that ride-hailing companies pay drivers a higher rate while they are within city limits.

Uber and Lyft responded by saying they would stop serving the Minneapolis area when the ordinance takes effect May 1, causing the city to weigh the ordinance it passed. The state could also take action, while riders and drivers are left wondering what could come next.

Here is what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Minneapolis City Council last month overrode a mayoral veto and passed an ordinance that requires ride-hailing companies to pay drivers a minimum rate of $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute — or $5 per ride, whichever is greater — excluding tips, for the time spent transporting passengers in Minneapolis.

Supporters of the ordinance said the rate would ensure that companies pay drivers the equivalent of the city's minimum wage of $15.57 per hour.

Council member Jamal Osman, who co-authored the ordinance, said in a statement: "Drivers are human beings with families, and they deserve dignified minimum wages like all other workers. ... the Minneapolis City Council will not allow the East African community, or any community, to be exploited for cheap labor."

Many East African immigrants in the Minneapolis area work as Uber and Lyft drivers and have advocated for the rate increase.

However, a recent study commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry found that a lower rate of $0.89 per mile and $0.49 per minute would meet the $15.57 per hour goal.

SEE MORE: Lyft expands safety feature for women and nonbinary users

What are Uber and Lyft doing?

Uber and Lyft said they can support the rate from the state's study. But if the higher rate from the Minneapolis ordinance goes into effect, the companies said they will leave the market May 1.

Josh Gold, an Uber spokesperson, said the company plans on ending its operations in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Twin Cities metro area — including the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

The metro area includes more than 3 million people, which is more than half the state's population.

CJ Macklin, a Lyft spokesperson, said Lyft will end its operations only in Minneapolis. Lyft will still service the airport, but will not pick up or drop off passengers at any Minneapolis locations.

Both companies previously pulled out of Austin, Texas, in 2016, after the city pushed for fingerprint-based background checks of drivers as a rider safety measure. The companies returned after the Texas Legislature overrode the local measure and passed a law implementing different rules statewide.

Can the state step in?

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said he is "deeply concerned" about the possibility of Uber and Lyft leaving the Minneapolis area.

Walz said the move would have statewide impact and affect everyone who relies on the service, including people trying to get home safely from bars, people with disabilities, students and others.

State lawmakers could pass legislation that would supersede the local ordinance. But Walz said the most efficient solution is to ask the Minneapolis City Council to work out a compromise.

What is the city doing?

Minneapolis City Council members could vote to change the ordinance, take it back completely or leave it as is.

Council member Linea Palmisano said she plans to continue voting against it unless it is changed. Palmisano said she has heard from many community members who oppose it, including students, part-time and low-income workers, hospitals and more.

Palmisano said she has also heard from drivers who do not agree with it and "are now at risk of losing their livelihood."

Council member Robin Wonsley, the ordinance's lead author, said the ordinance's rate is "the right thing to do."

"For far too long, this industry has exploited workers of color and immigrant workers for cheap labor. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to build a rideshare industry that is not based on poverty wages and exploitation," she said.

What are people saying?

Residents in the Twin Cities metro area are divided — some support the ordinance because it will help marginalized workers, while others oppose it because they don't want Uber and Lyft to leave.

Marianna Brown, an Uber driver in her 60s living in a suburb of Minneapolis, supports the ordinance and isn't worried, saying other ride-hailing companies — and even a local driver-owned co-op — are planning to enter the Minneapolis market. Brown, a Jamaican immigrant, said drivers have been abused by Uber and Lyft for too long.

Arianna Feldman, 31, of Minneapolis, said she supports the ordinance and has taken close to 2,000 rides on Lyft because she doesn't drive, has health issues and doesn't have access to reliable public transit.

"I think it's really shameful that these multimillion-dollar companies are holding us hostage like this and punishing communities for demanding a very basic right to get compensated correctly," she said.

Jake Clark, 44, of St. Paul, is an Uber and Lyft driver and opposes the ordinance. Clark said he has never earned less than $25 per hour and has earned up to $75 per hour because he prioritizes customer service and strategizes which rides to accept.

Michael Sack, 34, of Minneapolis, also opposes the ordinance. He has cerebral palsy and serves on the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities. He urged the City Council and state Legislature to find a way to increase drivers' pay while keeping ride-hailing services affordable.

"It is critical to keep the cost of rides down because people with low incomes, which most individuals with impairments have, utilize Uber and Lyft," he said.

The nation's most influential banker, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, told investors Monday that he continues to expect the U.S. economy to be resilient and grow this year. But he worries geopolitical events including the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, as well as U.S. political polarization, might be creating an environment that "may very well be creating risks that could eclipse anything since World War II."

The comments came in an annual shareholder letter from Dimon, who often uses the letter to weigh in on broad topics like politics, regulation and global events and what they might mean to JPMorgan Chase, as well as the broader economy.

Dimon also used his letter to forcefully defend the firm's diversity and equality efforts, pushing back on the arguments from Republicans who have said such efforts at Fortune 500 companies, colleges and universities are discriminatory and promote left-wing ideology.

"America's global leadership role is being challenged outside by other nations and inside by our polarized electorate," Dimon said. "We need to find ways to put aside our differences and work in partnership with other Western nations in the name of democracy. During this time of great crises, uniting to protect our essential freedoms, including free enterprise, is paramount."

Dimon had particular concerns with continued large amounts of deficit spending by the U.S. government and other countries, as well as the need for countries such as the U.S. to remilitarize and continue to build out green infrastructure, all of which will likely keep inflation higher than investors expect.

Because of these issues, Dimon said he is less optimistic that the U.S. economy will achieve a "soft landing," which he defined as modest growth along with declining inflation and interest rates, compared to the broader market. While he says the investors are pricing in a "70% to 80%" chance of a soft landing, Dimon thinks the chances of such an ideal outcome are "a lot less" than that.

Also, at a time when some investors and economists are questioning whether the Federal Reserve can make good on its projection for three interest rate cuts this year, Dimon warned of the possibility of rates rising to 8% or higher. The Fed's benchmark rate is currently in a range of 5.25% to 5.50%.

SEE MORE: US job market remains strong, wages outpacing inflation, data shows

"These significant and somewhat unprecedented forces cause us to remain cautious," he said.

As he has done in previous letters, Dimon said he continues to believe that the U.S. must take a significant leadership position in the world through trade, military might and a resilient economy backed by strong infrastructure spending. He has long argued that the U.S. must continue to hold its leadership role in the West, or it will eventually cede that role to China as an authoritarian superpower. This includes continuing to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, Dimon argued.

"Ukraine needs our help immediately, but it's important to understand that much of the money that America is directing to Ukraine is for purchasing weapons and equipment, most of which will be built in America. Not only is our aid helping Ukraine, but it is going directly to American manufacturers, and it is helping the country rebuild our military industrial capacity for the next generation."

Like many other CEOs, Dimon said he sees promise in the use cases of artificial intelligence. The bank has found 400 use cases for AI so far, Dimon said, particularly in the bank's marketing, fraud and risk departments. The bank also is exploring using AI in software development and general employee productivity plans.

"We are completely convinced the consequences (of AI) will be extraordinary and possibly as transformational as some of the major technological inventions of the past several hundred years: Think the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, computing and the Internet, among others."

Of the 61-page letter, Dimon dedicated four pages to the bank's diversity and inclusion work. His vocal defense of the bank's DEI initiatives come at a time when shareholder and political activists have called such programs a waste of company resources. Dimon argued that JPMorgan — as the nation's largest bank — should do as much as it can to help lift all parts of the economy.

"We believe — and we are unashamed about this — that it is our obligation to help lift up the communities and countries in which we do business," Dimon said. "We believe that doing so enhances business and the general economic well-being of those communities and countries and also enhances long-term shareholder value."

If you purchased some weighted groceries or bagged fruit at Walmart in recent years, you may be eligible for a cash payment from a class action settlement with the retailer.

The class action lawsuit, first filed in October 2022, alleges that Walmart shoppers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico who purchased certain sold-by-weight meat and seafood as well as select citrus sold in bulk bags paid more than the lowest price advertised in stores.

Walmart has denied any wrongdoing — but agreed to pay $45 million to settle the litigation. That means that impacted consumers can now submit claims for cash payments.

“We will continue providing our customers everyday low prices to help them save money on the products they want and need," a spokesperson for the Bentonville, Arkansas, company stated. "We still deny the allegations, however we believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties.”

Consumers can learn more about submitting a claim and the products that are covered on the settlement administrator's website. Cash payments are available for anyone who purchased these certain weighted meat, seafood and bagged citrus products — which includes select oranges, grapefruit and tangerines — at Walmart in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between October 19, 2018 and January 19, 2024.

SEE MORE: Google's incognito mode to undergo changes after settlement

Payments will range in amount depending on each claim. It's possible to get some money even if you don't have a purchase receipt anymore.

Consumers without a proof of purchase can receive between $10 and $25, depending on how many eligible products they attest to buying during the settlement class period. Meanwhile, those with receipts or other documentation could be entitled to get 2% of the total cost for each product they purchased — at up to $500.

Approved claimants will receive their payments electronically through Venmo, Zelle, ACH or a virtual pre-paid MasterCard — but paper checks can also be requested those unable to receive payments electronically.

The deadline to submit a claim is June 5, with a final approval hearing set for June 12. Objections and other comments to the settlement can be made through May 22.

With April marking Autism Acceptance Month, Lego announced that all stores will undergo changes to make them sensory-inclusive. By doing so, Lego said its stores will become KultureCity certified. 

The certification means that Lego Stores will provide "visitors with an inclusive experience through staff training and access to support tools." Lego said its stores in the U.S. and Canada will have sensory bags free of charge. The stores will have items such as noise reducing headphones, fidget tools, visual cue cards, KultureCity branded lanyards and strobe reduction glasses available. 

In its announcement, Lego shared the story of Sean, an adult with autism who is a Lego fan.

"Being able to experience the Lego store at my own pace would have allowed me to connect to so many other people and Lego fans, and truly feel like I belong," Sean said. "This move will allow for people like me, a full-grown adult, to experience everything the store has to offer and let children visiting the store have their own perspective on their own lives changed in a positive way. That’s something that can’t be replaced.”

SEE MORE: Study finds link between diet drinks and boys with autism

Lego also announced changes to its Lego Life Magazine, which include numbering the boxes used in cartoons to make them easier to follow; ensuring consistent and meaningful use of visual simples; planning content to suit varied abilities and interests; and having consistency in placement of useful items, such as prompts for activity answers.

“All Lego entities are united by our mission to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow and a belief that the benefits of play are equally critical to all children. This fuels our exploration of how to make the Lego experience more inclusive and welcoming for everyone," Colette Burke, chief commercial officer at the Lego Group, said. 

According to KultureCity, it has worked with businesses across the world to make 1,800 sensory-friendly. A list is available on its website. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 36 children have autism in the U.S. The CDC added that over 5.4 million adults have autism. 

Automakers across multiple companies showed mixed results in their first-quarter earnings reports, with GM reporting sales down 1.5% during the first quarter of the year, and Ford signaling its pickup trucks and hybrids helped in a 6.8% jump in U.S. sales for the first quarter. 

Reuters reported that demand for Ford pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers was showing signs of hope. 

But, as has been the case for the U.S. auto industry in recent years, it's a game of moving pieces as innovation tries to meet demand and affordability. 

In March, around 1,400 Ford factory workers in Michigan working on the automaker's electric version of its popular F-150 truck faced moving to new jobs or accepting retirement packages amid what was called weak sales. The truck, which asks a starting price of nearly $50,000, was sitting on dealer lots as concerning inventory reports flowed in. 

SEE MORE: Hybrids vs EVs: Why hybrids are surging as EV sales slow

Just a third of about 2,100 workers at three electric-vehicle plants would remain after cuts in jobs by the company, The Associated Press reported. 

Marissa West, GM's senior vice president and president for North America said, "our inventories are in good shape heading into the spring," and said the company is "on plan."

Earnings reports were mixed in terms of the company's sales in the first quarter of 2024, with retail sales growing by 6%, the company said — but, its entire business unit (GM Envolve), which was created to house its fleet services and products, saw sales drop by a significant 23%, GM reported. Nearly all of the company's Cadillac model sales saw decreases, as well as a significant number of it's SUV models. Its trucks in the GMC category saw a 4.8% decrease. 

The CEO for automaker Stellantis expressed concern that China's auto industry would have a negative impact on EV sales. Carlos Tavares called it an "offensive" and told reporters it is "possibly the biggest risk that companies like Tesla and ourselves are facing right now."

The company reported a 13% decrease in profits at the end of 2023 because of strikes in North America, and didn't enter into 2024 on much better footing. 

And high car interest rates amid a fight by the U.S. Federal Reserve to lower inflation also contribute to consumer sales for vehicles. A Bankrate report said that high rates will have an effect on how the auto industry is able to stabilize vehicle prices.

Statista reported that projections predicted that from an international perspective, most revenue for pickup truck sales will be generated in the United States in 2024. And with variations in sales among various truck sizes — including full-size, mid-size and compact trucks — the addition of electric pickup trucks like the F-150 Lightning should cause some major "shakeups" in the sector, as Auto Blog reported. 

Ford is claiming America's No. 2 spot for electric vehicle brands, with the Ford Transit as America's bestselling van, the company reported. 

Tropicana Las Vegas, an iconic casino that holds more than six decades of memories, has given three Las Vegans the gift of friendship.

For Julio San Pedro, originally from Cuba, the Tropicana became his home when he started working there at the age of 17 in 1971, making him the second-longest-serving employee. He began as a busboy and attributes his long tenure to the sense of family at the hotel, where coworkers shared life's experiences together, from raising families to experiencing major life events.

SEE MORE: You can now buy items from the shuttered Tropicana Las Vegas

San Pedro's friendships at the Tropicana include his partner Michael and friend John, whom he met while working banquets at the hotel. John, who started at the Tropicana in his 20s and is now in his 60s, reflects on the shared experiences with coworkers over the years.

"You experience so much of life and it's shared by the people that you work side-by-side with all of those years," he said.

Michael, who used to perform in shows over 40 years ago, finds solace in reminiscing about the past, often visiting the showroom where he once performed.

"I used to just walk over to the showroom every once in a while and just open the doors to the theater and just look and reminisce," he said.

SEE MORE: Las Vegas mayor criticizes A's relocation plan: 'Does not make sense'

Together, this trio has witnessed memorable moments, including meeting Elvis, President Clinton and even Liza Minnelli. They have collected keepsakes, like a program from the 1982-1983 Folies Bergère show, preserving their memories of the Tropicana's glamorous past.

As the Tropicana prepares to be demolished, Julio, Michael and John are looking forward to some rest. However, their bond remains strong, with plans to go on a cruise together, keeping in touch and ensuring that their connection forged at the Tropicana will endure.

"After the closing, the banquet coworkers all plan to go on a cruise which we already booked, so we [will] still [be] in touch. It's not over for us. We all have our numbers and we always keep in touch," San Pedro said.

This story was originally published by Isabella Martin at Scripps News Las Vegas.

Despite government plans to eventually phase out gas-powered cars, the U.S. is in the slow lane when it comes to electric vehicle adoption.

For the past four or five years, all the hype about new cars has been about EVs.

But as the spring 2024 car buying season begins, hybrids that use gas and electricity are now the hottest thing again. Car buyers may notice a subtle change at auto shows traveling the country this spring.

We found a team of Toyota spokespeople pushing the Prius up on stage – yes, the hybrid Prius, which made its U.S. debut two decades ago in 2001.

"This is the good old-fashioned hybrid," the show spokesman told the crowd. "You can see this is the Prius, the one that started it all."

SEE MORE: Tesla sales falter as the US electric vehicle market cools off

Other automakers are easing off the gas pedal on pure electric vehicles, with Mercedes delaying its plans to go all EV and Ford slowing production of the much-hyped F-150 Lightning.

And even Tesla has just announced that its first quarter 2024 sales were down 9% compared with the first quarter of 2023.

Auto Dealer Association marketing director Charlie Howard says hybrids remove what's called "range anxiety," a common concern that an EV will run low on power before you reach a charging station.

"A lot of folks are saying instead, 'Hey, the hybrid option works for me,'" he said. "Or maybe I don't have charging options at my home, and the hybrid offers that extended range."

Some hybrids, like the Toyota Camry, get 48 miles per gallon, according to the EPA.

EV prices falling to lure car buyers

So, with consumer interest in all-electric vehicles seemingly coming to a stall, EV prices are dropping. Tesla recently cut prices on many of its vehicles.

At the end of 2023, used EV prices were down nearly 34%, while the average used car price was down just 5%, according to iSeeCars.

iSeeCars.com analyst Karl Brauer says lower EV prices may not be enough to sway consumers, with hybrid prices lower and more in line with gas-powered cars.

"Hybrids get substantially better fuel efficiency than a non-hybrid vehicle," he said, "unless they're a plug-in, which means they get no fuel use for at least 30 to 50 miles."

Brauer says buyers today are also more comfortable with hybrid technology, compared to newer EVs.

"Hybrids have basically every advantage right now compared to an electric vehicle and compared to a gasoline vehicle, except for a slight cost difference."

For now, car shopper Jenny Jenowine is deciding between gas or hybrid.

"A hybrid possibly, but definitely not all-electric," she said.

Like many car buyers, she is waiting a bit longer to join the EV revolution.

Sales of Tesla vehicles dropped nearly 9% last quarter thanks to increased competition and an overall slowdown in electric vehicle sales.

Tesla said it delivered more than 386,000 vehicles from January to March, a decline from the 423,000 it sold in the same time period last year.

Analysts had expected sales around 457,000.

Tesla said shipping delays and a reworked Model 3 contributed to its slowdown. Analysts said the company's incentives and discounts weren't doing enough to keep demand for its vehicles growing.

Tesla made price cuts of as much as $20,000 for certain vehicle models last year, and in March of this year announced a short-term $1,000 discount on its most popular Model Y. Together, the cuts reduced Tesla's profit margins.

Tesla also told investors this year it expects "notably lower" growth in demand while it prepares to launch a more affordable vehicle known as Model 2.

Tesla shares dropped 4.9% during normal trading on Tuesday, continuing a slide that has cut 33% of Tesla's value this year. It led other electric vehicle companies lower for the day as well: Rivian lost 5.2% and Lucid fell 3.5%.

SEE MORE: GM to resume sales of Chevy Blazer EV after software issues

This comes as demand for electric vehicles cools off in the U.S. EV sales climbed by 47% last year but slowed down toward the end of the year. As of 2023, the EV market share is 7.6% of the U.S. total.

Other electric offerings have also struggled. Ford had to cut prices and slow down production of vehicles like the Mustang Mach E to secure sales of 2023 models.

After making its stock market debut on Wall Street last week, shares in the parent company of former President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social plunged yesterday after the company disclosed massive losses in 2023.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (DJT) unveiled in filings Monday that it lost about $58.2 million last year, with revenue of just $4.1 million. The disclosure drove the company's stock price down by 21% before closing Monday at just over $48 per share.

SEE MORE: Judge expands gag order after Trump's posts target family members

Trump's company started trading on the Nasdaq for the first time on March 26 after a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. was approved earlier this month allowing the company to go public. In its first day of trading, Trump Media had surpassed $79 per share at one point but has since cooled, meaning many early investors have already incurred heavy losses. 

The former president holds some 79 million shares in the newly combined company, giving him a 60% majority ownership. However, it doesn't appear he will be able to cash out on gains anytime soon to help pay his New York civil fraud judgment or any legal bills surrounding his other pending civil and criminal cases. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, people involved in high-stakes deals like the one that brought Truth Social to the public market are typically prohibited from buying or borrowing against their shares for at least six months.

Google has settled to conclude a four-year case involving how it was using data of Chrome users in incognito mode. 

The settlement comes after Google users alleged that the company was collecting data from them. The settlement was agreed upon just as a class-action trial was about to begin. 

Court documents suggest that data was collected on 136 million users. 

"Google does this without disclosure or consent of users, to profile plaintiffs and other class members. As a result, from this data, Google reaps billions of dollars in profits each year," the class-action suit alleged. 

In the settlement, Google agrees to delete billions of data records collected while users were in private viewing mode. The settlement also requires Google to block third-party cookies by default while in incognito mode when using non-Google sites for the next five years. 

Google must also rewrite its disclosures to tell users that it collects private browsing data.

Earlier this year, Google added this wording to its information on incognito mode: "While Incognito mode provides local privacy on your device, it does not affect how Google collects data when you use other products and services, as described in the Privacy Policy."

SEE MORE: DOJ sues Apple in sweeping antitrust suit over iPhone monopoly in US

The agreement does not settle any financial damages, as plaintiffs in the class-action suit are free to sue individually for damages. 

The final agreement still needs a judge's approval. 

Google has agreed to the terms of the settlement but disagrees with some of the legal and factual characteristics in the settlement. 

"We are pleased to settle this lawsuit, which we always believed was meritless. The plaintiffs originally wanted $5 billion and are receiving zero. We never associate data with users when they use Incognito mode. We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization," a Google spokesperson said.

In a major deal for the largest shipping company in the United States, UPS has reached an agreement to become the majority air cargo provider for the U.S. Postal Service. 

The Atlanta-based courier announced Monday that it was awarded the contract after USPS was unable to hammer out a deal to extend its current contract with FedEx, which is set to expire in September. While the financial terms of the agreement were not publicly disclosed, UPS said it was "significant" and "effective immediately."

"Together UPS and USPS have developed an innovative solution that is mutually beneficial and complements our unique, reliable and efficient integrated network," UPS CEO Carol Tomé said in a statement.

SEE MORE: UPS cutting 12,000 jobs 5 months after reaching union deal

The new deal holds a minimum term of five-and-a-half years and is scheduled to begin on Sept. 30. USPS said it aims to reduce overall transportation costs by about $3 billion over the next two years. 

"Finalizing this agreement is a key step toward achieving our operational and financial sustainability goals," USPS said in a statement. 

In recent years, USPS has reorganized and shifted focus to lowering costs and increasing profitability after narrowly avoiding bankruptcy. The agency announced a 10-year overhaul in 2020 that included slowing down some delivery standards, decreasing plane deliveries, and closing down or cutting hours at some post offices across the U.S. 

Shares in UPS were up by about 2% before the opening bell on Wall Street Monday, while shares in FedEx were down by about the same amount.

In September, Hyundai and Kia issued a recall of 3.4 million vehicles in the United States with an ominous warning: The vehicles should be parked outdoors and away from buildings because they risked catching fire, whether the engines were on or off.

Six months later, most of those autos remain on the road — unrepaired — putting their owners, their families and potentially other people in danger of fires that could spread to garages, houses or other vehicles.

Hyundai and Kia have acknowledged that there's little hope of repairing most of the affected vehicles until June or later, roughly nine months after they announced the recalls. (Hyundai owns part of Kia, though the two companies operate independently.)

The two companies attributed the delays, in part, to the huge number of vehicles involved, among the largest recalls they’ve ever done. The fires, they say, have occurred when brake fluid leaked onto the circuit boards of antilock braking systems, triggering an electrical short and igniting the fluid.

The companies say they've been unable to obtain enough of the needed parts — fuses that reduce the boards' electrical currents — to fix most of the affected vehicles. Among them are some of their top-selling models for the 2010 through 2017 years, including Hyundai’s Santa Fe and Elantra and Kia’s Sportage and Forte.

SEE MORE: Kia recalls over 427,000 SUVs as they might roll away while parked

Hyundai and Kia have urged the vehicles' owners to contact the companies or dealers if they see dashboard warning lights or smell something burning. In the meantime, both companies contend that despite the ongoing risks, the cars remain safe to drive.

When they announced the recalls in September, the two automakers reported that the defect had caused 56 vehicle fires and “thermal incidents,” which include burning, melting and smoking. No injuries or deaths have been reported, either before or since the recalls were announced.

Safety advocates complain, though, that the repairs are taking far longer than fixes from auto recalls normally do. Typically, such repairs begin in 10 weeks or less, though some can take longer if automakers cannot quickly determine the cause, which isn't the case with the Hyundai-Kia problem.

While awaiting repairs, owners of the affected vehicles need to park outside and away from other vehicles to minimize the risks. In the meantime, safety advocates note that if too much brake fluid leaks, it could impair braking or lengthen the distance required to stop a car.

The long-delayed repairs mark the latest in a long series of recalls involving engine fires on Hyundai and Kia vehicles that have bedeviled the two Korean automakers since 2015. All told, 13 million of their vehicles have been recalled for engine problems since 2010.

SEE MORE: Cities nationwide are suing Kia and Hyundai for increased car thefts

With the current recall, auto safety advocates say they're mystified about why it’s taking so long for Hyundai and Kia to obtain the necessary fuses, a relatively simple part. Some also question whether a fuse will reliably solve the brake fluid leak. Some critics say the companies may be trying to save money by identifying the solution as a new fuse, which is far less expensive than fixing the fluid leaks.

“They’re putting a Band-Aid on this thing,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. “It looks like it’s a cheap fix instead of repairing the entire antilock brake system.”

Advocates say they wonder, too, why regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven’t forced the companies to repair the leaks.

A NHTSA spokeswoman said the agency is monitoring the effectiveness of the recalls and “is working with the automakers to ensure the highest level of safety.”

Hyundai has said that repairing the affected vehicles requires an intricate fuse assembly, with new covers and labels. Although just one fuse will be added to each vehicle, both automakers said they must obtain multiple types of new fuses to cover all models.

“To expedite the remedy," Hyundai said in a statement, "we are working closely with multiple suppliers, emphasizing the high priority of the recall, and ensuring quality for the replacement fuses.”

A schedule that Hyundai filed with the government shows that owners won't start receiving letters advising them to take their cars in for repairs until April 22 at the earliest. Most of them won't get the letters until May or June — eight or nine months after the recalls were announced. Some owners of the affected Kia vehicles might not be notified until the end of June, documents say.

SEE MORE: Subaru recalls over 118,000 US vehicles, citing faulty air bag sensors

In a statement, Kia said the new fuses it’s seeking were developed to prevent fires, “regardless of what the cause of the electrical short circuit condition may be.” It said it’s working with parts suppliers to accelerate production of the fuses.

Both companies said that besides adding a new fuse, dealers will fix any brake fluid leaks that might be found during inspections. Brake fluid can leak if O-rings, which seal the fluid, lose strength if exposed to moisture, dirt or other contaminants in the fluid, according to Hyundai documents filed with NHTSA. If the fluid level drops significantly, Hyundai said, the driver would see a warning light.

Since September, more than 500 owners have filed complaints accusing the automakers of taking an unreasonable amount of time to make repairs, a review of NHTSA records shows. The Hyundai and Kia fires have continued to occur while owners await repairs; at least five complainants have reported engine compartment fires.

Several complainants said they fear driving the vehicles and want NHTSA to force the companies to provide loaner cars or at least speed up the pace of repairs. Hyundai told dealers last year that they should provide loaners — at Hyundai's expense — for owners who don't feel safe driving their vehicles. After an inquiry from a reporter, Kia said it, too, would provide loaners.

Some complainants say they were confused by Hyundai statements saying the recalled vehicles can be driven even though they can catch fire while the engines are running.

“This safety recall sounds urgent and incredibly dangerous,” an owner of a 2012 Hyundai Accent from Burbank, California, wrote in a complaint to NHTSA in December. (People who file complaints aren’t identified in the NHTSA database.) The owner couldn't understand why Hyundai would say the Accent is safe to drive yet admit that it can still catch fire while being driven.

Both companies said that while fires remain rare, if they do happen, owners would smell smoke or see warning lights on the dashboard. The warnings would “allow for a safe exit from the vehicle,” Kia's statement said.

But Brooks of the Center for Auto Safety argues that it's irresponsible for the companies to assure owners that the vehicles are safe to drive when they know fires are possible. If smoke or warning lights should appear, he said, the companies can't predict how long the occupants would have to escape or free children or other passengers who might be unable to get out on their own.

“There are a lot of (fire) situations where consumers simply weren't aware,” Brooks said. “That is going to compromise the time they have to escape the vehicle if there's a fire.” He urged every owner of a recalled vehicle to seek a loaner car from the companies.

SEE MORE: 'Do not drive': Toyota recalls some 50,000 older vehicles

Another complainant, from Austin, Texas, called on NHTSA to force Hyundai to fix the fluid leaks.

“They do not appear to be fixing the root cause of the issue,” wrote the complainant, the owner of a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. “Leaking brake systems are a safety concern of the highest magnitude, right up there with tires and steering. This is just insane.”

Ellen Maisano of Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, said she parked her 2011 Kia Soul in her yard for four months until trading it in last January out of frustration with the slow repairs.

"I don’t want to be on the highway and catch on fire,” said Maisano, who also complained to NHTSA, which, in turn, referred her to Kia.

Nor did she want to leave the Soul near other vehicles in her workplace parking lot. And she worried about parking it in her garage.

“All I need is the garage to go up in flames,” she said.

Maisano and her partner had to share his car to commute to work, which became difficult after four months. Neither Kia nor her dealership nor her insurance company, she said, would pay for a rental car. So she decided to pony up $23,000 for a used Honda HR-V, with a monthly payment of $410 that she hadn’t wanted to spend.

Like some other owners, Maisano said she also worried, in light of an epidemic of Hyundai and Kia thefts, about her Kia being stolen when left outdoors. Many of the vehicles being recalled for potential fires also are at risk of being stolen if parked outside because they lack computer chips in the keys and ignitions that must match up before the engines can be started.

Thieves were able to easily steal the cars with a screwdriver and a USB cable, a method that was shared on videos on TikTok and other social media sites. To try to stop the thefts, Hyundai and Kia issued software updates in February 2023 and offered free steering wheel locks.

Documents that Hyundai and Kia filed with regulators show that the companies have traced the fire problem to brake control units made by Mando, a South Korean supplier. In October, after the Hyundai and Kia recalls, Mando issued its own recall, for 3.4 million anti-lock brake modules that can leak fluid.

Some of those modules also went to General Motors, which said it positions them differently from Hyundai and Kia. GM said it doesn't know of any incidents involving the modules, and an internal investigation determined that there was no risk to customers.

Mando did not return messages seeking comment.

In November, NHTSA began investigating whether Hyundai and Kia should have acted faster to recall vehicles with Mando control units that could catch fire. Since 2016, each automaker has announced eight recalls, covering about 6.4 million vehicles with the brake units.

NHTSA documents show 92 fires attributed to vehicles in the 16 recalls, including the ones announced in September. In 2020, NHTSA forced both automakers to pay $137 million in fines and for safety improvements for being too slow to recall vehicles with engine problems.

Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, which conducts research for lawyers that sue automakers, said that while he welcomes NHTSA's investigation, the agency should have required more recalls and repairs sooner.

“It's remarkable that it's gone on as long as it has without much scrutiny,” Kane said. “I don't think this problem is over yet in terms of the recall situation.”

Starting Monday, fast food workers began earning a minimum of $20 an hour after lawmakers approved a bill in 2023 despite objections from the quick-service industry. 

Companies immediately responded by saying that the wage increases would result in higher consumer prices. Chipotle and McDonald's were among companies in late 2023 warning of price increases. 

Based on Chipotle's app, prices on Monday are generally up to 10% higher at several Los Angeles-area restaurants than other locations across the U.S. 

"It's going to be a pretty significant increase to our labor," Chipotle Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung said in a call with investors in late 2023. "It's going to be a mid to high single-digit price increase, but we are definitely going to pass this on."

SEE MORE: Restaurants implementing AI, self-ordering kiosks in 2024

Prices at several Los Angeles McDonald's locations on Monday were comparable to breakfast prices at locations outside of California. But McDonald's leaders noted that other restaurants could be more impacted by the wage jump.

"Longer term, what we've been talking about with our franchisees is this is an opportunity for us to gain share, because this is an impact that's going to hit all of our competitors. We're in a better position. We believe we're in a better position than our competitors to weather this," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempinski said in a call with investors in 2023. "And so let's use this as an opportunity to actually accelerate our growth in California and accelerating our growth along with some mitigation. The two of those in combination is the best way to minimize any impact long term on franchisee cash flow."

When lawmakers passed the bill in 2023, the state's minimum wage was $15.50 an hour. Lawmakers previously approved a $22 minimum wage for fast food workers, but that law faced stiff opposition from the industry. 

According to state data, In-N-Out, Chipotle, McDonald's and Chick-fil-A each spent over $11 million to oppose the $22 minimum wage law. Lawmakers lowered the $22 minimum wage law before it could go into effect as the previous legislation was potentially headed to a statewide vote. 

As of May 2022, California had 394,660 fast food workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with an average pay of $16.60 per hour. The nationwide average wage for fast food workers in 2022 was $13.53 an hour. 

AT&T said it has begun notifying millions of customers about the theft of personal data recently discovered online.

The telecommunications giant said Saturday that a dataset found on the "dark web" contains information such as Social Security numbers for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.

The company said it has already reset the passcodes of current users and will be communicating with account holders whose sensitive personal information was compromised.

It is not known if the data "originated from AT&T or one of its vendors," the company said in a statement. The compromised data is from 2019 or earlier and does not appear to include financial information or call history, it said. In addition to passcodes and Social Security numbers, it may include email and mailing addresses, phone numbers and birth dates.

While the data surfaced on a hacking forum nearly two weeks ago, it closely resembles a similar data breach that surfaced in 2021 but which AT&T never acknowledged, said cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt.

"If they assess this and they made the wrong call on it, and we've had a course of years pass without them being able to notify impacted customers," then it's likely the company will soon face class action lawsuits, said Hunt, founder of an Australia-based website for warning people when their personal information has been exposed.

An AT&T spokesperson didn't immediately return a request for comment Saturday.

It is not the first crisis this year for the Dallas-based company. An outage in February temporarily knocked out cellphone service for thousands of U.S. users. AT&T at the time blamed the incident on a technical coding error, not a malicious attack.

SEE MORE: New York AG investigating AT&T after massive cell outage

The U.S. State Department is offering up to a $10 million reward for any information on the hackers who were behind the most disruptive health care cyberattacks in the country's history.

On Feb. 21, Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary responsible for managing payment systems in most U.S. hospitals, experienced a cyberattack that affected billing, care authorization for patients, and caused prescription backlogs. This left hospitals, patients and medical providers across the country cash-strapped.

Now U.S. officials are seeking more information about individuals that could have been acting under foreign government direction to deploy these cyber attacks, which violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

"The ALPHV BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service group compromised computer networks of critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and worldwide, deploying ransomware on the targeted systems, disabling security features within the victim’s network, stealing sensitive confidential information, demanding payment to restore access, and threatening to publicize the stolen data if victims do not pay a ransom," the State Department wrote in a statement.

Officials say ransomware from the group ALPHV BlackCat was first identified in Nov. 2021. The group operates as a team that creates ransomware and recruits affiliates to spread it; then ALPHV BlackCat and their affiliates share the money they receive from the paid ransoms.  

For more information on how to share any tips you may have about the hackers, click HERE.

Major League Baseball owners have unanimously approved the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to a group led by private-equity billionaire David Rubenstein. 

The vote to approve took place Wednesday during a conference call and will give Rubenstein's group a 70% share of the team, ESPN reported.  

In January, the Angelos family, the team's owners, agreed to sell the team to Rubenstein for $1.725 billion, Scripps News Baltimore reported. 

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank the Angelos family for their many years of service to the game and the communities of Baltimore. Peter Angelos loved baseball, loved Baltimore, and was an important part of MLB for more than three decades," Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr. said. 

Peter Angelos, the team's former owner, died at 94 this year. 

SEE MORE: Ohtani 'beyond shocked' at allegations of gambling by his interpreter

For sale of the team, approval had to come from the Maryland Stadium Authority. Once that was secured, the MLB owners' approval was the final hurdle. 

"To own the Orioles is a great civic duty," Rubenstein said. "On behalf of my fellow owners, I want the Baltimore community and Orioles fans everywhere to know that we will work our hardest to deliver for you with professionalism, integrity, excellence and a fierce desire to win games." 

He said, "I thank John Angelos and his family for all they have done to bring us to this point. John led a dramatic overhaul of the team's management, roster, recruitment strategy, and farm system in recent years. Our job is to build on these accomplishments to advance a world-class professional sports agenda — with eyes on returning a World Series trophy to Baltimore."

Included in Rubenstein's group are various people with ties to the team including Cal Ripken, Jr. who is an Orioles legend and a National Baseball Hall of Fame Member; Michele Kang, an entrepreneur and owner of the Washington Spirit; Kurt Schmoke, a former Baltimore mayor; Mike Bloomberg, a business leader and philanthropist; and Bill Miller, an investor, philanthropist and a lifelong Orioles fan.

The scheduled closing for the sale was scheduled for this week. 

This story was originally published by Dominick Philippe-Auguste at Scripps News Baltimore with additional reporting from Scripps News. 

Automaker Subaru issued a massive recall of potentially 118,723 vehicles after the company says a sensor that activates air bags may be faulty, causing air bags not to deploy in a crash. 

The National Highway Transportation Security Administration said Subaru of America, Inc. plans to recall some 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. The company has concerns over the vehicles' occupant-detection system, which it says can short-circuit or even crack, causing the front passenger air bag to fail. 

SEE MORE: Disney figurine toys recalled by Fisher-Price

The recall affects mostly Outback models, making up 103,114 vehicles out of the total number recalled, while 15,609 Subary Legacy vehicles were included in the recall. 

Subaru said that it is possible that during the production process, some of the sensors' printed circuit boards were deformed, causing a crack to form in the capacitors. Cracks could allow moisture to enter the components. which can lead to the short-circuiting,  the NHTSA said

Subaru said if a short circuit happens, the air-bag-system warning light in the affected vehicles will illuminate, and "front passenger air bag off" indicators will illuminate as well. The NHTSA has listed component part numbers and details about the recalled vehicle models and years on its website. 

Subaru dealers will replace all four of the sensors on the front passenger seat with new components, the safety agency said. 

Anyone with questions can contact Subaru, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle-safety hotline.

Many restaurants in the U.S. say they plan to implement more technology this year, including voice recognition and self-service electronic kiosks. 

In a report released Wednesday by the National Restaurant Association, 16% of restaurants reported that they plan to integrate artificial intelligence, including voice recognition, into their businesses this year. 

Additionally, 1 in 4 restaurants plan to utilize self-ordering and payment kiosks this year. Nearly half of restaurants surveyed said they plan to use tech and automation to help with labor shortages.

"Restaurant operators have tremendous entrepreneurial spirit, and they are constantly innovating – sometimes through new dishes or flavors, and sometimes through new business practices,” said Michelle Korsmo, president of the National Restaurant Association. "More than 3 in 4 operators say technology gives them a competitive edge, and this research will also help operators find the right technology fit for their restaurant and their customers. In addition to valuable research on restaurant operator outlook, our research on the technology landscape in restaurants provides insights on consumer expectations that operators need to confidently evaluate their tech investments." 

SEE MORE: New Chick-fil-A won't have cashiers, drive-thru or dining room

Meanwhile, younger diners say they are more amenable to using tech in restaurants. The new report indicates that 46% of adults believe utilizing technology at full-service restaurants creates a more positive experience, compared to 23% who say technology creates a negative experience. 

The data shows a sharp divide between young and old on implementing technology. 

The National Restaurant Association found that 64% of Gen Z and 66% of millennial adults find that using technology creates a more positive dining experience. Just 19% of baby boomers say new restaurant technology is positive. 

While about half of millennials say they would like to see more technology at restaurants, just 9% of baby boomers want more tech. 

Some national chains have said started implementing more AI into their business models. For instance, Wendy's has started rolling out automated speaker boxes at drive-thrus using its FreshAI platform. The company has also said it will use AI to implement dynamic pricing, which could cause prices to differ throughout the day. 

SEE MORE: Krispy Kreme doughnuts to be served at McDonald's nationwide

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating TikTok over its data and security practices, a probe that could lead to a settlement or a lawsuit against the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The investigation is the latest battle in Washington for the social media company, which is already fighting against a federal bill that could ban the platform in the U.S. if it doesn't break ties with its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance.

In its investigation, the FTC has been looking into whether TikTok violated a portion of federal law that prohibits "unfair and deceptive" business practices by denying that individuals in China had access to U.S. user data, said the person, who is not authorized to discuss the investigation.

The agency also is scrutinizing the company over potential violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parents' consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

FTC spokesperson Nicole Drayton and TikTok declined to comment on the investigation, which was first reported by Politico.

SEE MORE: How TikTok became a 'battlefield' in Russia's war with Ukraine

The agency is nearing the conclusion of its investigation and could settle with TikTok in the coming weeks. But there's not a deadline for an agreement, the person said.

If the FTC moves forward with a lawsuit instead, it would have to refer the case to the Justice Department, which would have 45 days to decide whether it wants to file a case on the FTC's behalf, make changes or send it back to the agency to pursue on its own.

The news comes nearly two years after Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the committee, urged FTC chair Lina Khan to investigate TikTok, citing a report from Buzzfeed News that said ByteDance employees in China have repeatedly accessed data on U.S. TikTok users.

In late 2022, ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down leaks of confidential materials about the company.

Legislation that could determine TikTok's fate in the U.S. was approved in the House this month. But the bill has already run into roadblocks in the Senate, where there is little unanimity on how to best approach concerns over the social platform.

Lawmakers and intelligence officials have said they worry the platform could be used by the Chinese government to access U.S. user data or influence Americans through its popular algorithm. To date, the U.S. government hasn't provided public evidence that this has happened.

Family Dollar is set to close hundreds of stores in the first half of this year. As part of parent company Dollar Tree’s quarterly earnings report, 600 stores will close by mid-2024, and another 370 stores will shut down over the next few years as their lease expires.

Company executives cited “persistent inflation and reduced government benefits” as major contributing factors to the closures. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015, but the merger hasn’t helped improve Family Dollar’s profits.

Adding to the company’s troubles, Family Dollar had to temporarily close more than 400 stores in 2022 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration report revealed a rat infestation in the company’s warehouse, resulting in multiple recalls.

SEE MORE: Family Dollar fined $41.6 million over rodent-infested warehouse

Which Family Dollar stores are closing?

The company hasn’t released a full list of Family Dollar store closures, yet. Don’t Waste Your Money reached out to parent company Dollar Tree for an updated list, but did not receive a response as of this story’s publication.

However, local news agencies have reported upcoming store closures at specific locations as they get word from store owners in their area.

We have looked through coverage around the country, and the following is a list of Family Dollar locations scheduled to close soon.

Alabama

The Slocomb store at 534 Lawrence St. is closing, WDHN reports. Closing date TBD.

Florida

The Frenchtown store at 540 W. West Brevard St. is closing, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Illinois

At least two locations in Peoria are closing, including 3116 N. Sterling Ave. and 820 NE Jefferson St., the Peoria Journal Star reports.

Kansas

Stores in Marion, at 826 N. Roosevelt St., and in Peabody, at 309 E. 9th St., are closing, Peabody Gazette-Bulletin reports. In Wichita, the store at 13th Street and Broadway is closing, KSN reports.

Missouri

The Humansville store at 200 E. Tilden St. is closing, KY3 reports. The Willow Springs store at 503 E. Maine St. is closing, the Howell County News reports.

Nebraska

The Gering store at 1820 10th St. is closing, KNEB reports.

New Jersey

The Middletown store at Eastpointe Shopping Center, 6 NJ-36, is closing, Patch reports.

North Carolina

In Wilmington, the stores at 113 Greenfield St. and 4840 Carolina Beach Rd. are closing, WECT reports.

Ohio

The East Liverpool store at 15 Walnut St. is closing, The Review reports. The West Dayton store at 440 N. James H. McGee Blvd. is closing, Dayton Daily News reports.

South Carolina

The Clearwater store at 4403 Jefferson Davis Highway is closing, WRDW reports.

Virginia

In Lynchburg, the stores at 3516 Campbell Ave. and 408 Federal St. are closing, WSET reports.

West Virginia

The Elkins store at 388 Beverly Pike is already listed as permanently closed on Google, The Inter-Mountain Newspaper reports.

This story was originally published by Marie Rossiter at dontwasteyourmoney.com

It used to be when you turn 65, most people put down the work and retire. However, the newest trend is "unretiring," with as many as 20% of older workers rejoining the labor market in their 60s and 70s.

As of late 2023, there were nearly twice the percentage of Americans over age 65 working compared to the 1980s, according to Pew Research.

One example is walking into an Ace Hardware store, where you might find an associate like Ed Rooch.

This 74-year-old has been the "helpful hardware man" since retiring from a computer job in Silicon Valley almost 10 years ago. After a couple of years at home, he decided retirement wasn't for him.

"Well, I've always been handy," he said, "so this seemed like a perfect fit."

So, like a growing number of people over 65, he returned to the workforce, in his case for 30 hours a week. And he's loving it.

"It's no pressure. But it's also very challenging because everyone who comes in has a challenge," he said.

Carly Roszkowski of AARP says that given the tight labor market, it makes good business sense for employers to hire older workers.

"We have seen an increased interest in hiring older workers nationally," she said.

A major reason is inflation, which is battering the value of their 401k and monthly Social Security checks.

SEE MORE: Sleeping-in-cars plan for workers roils desert resort city

What to know before you apply

Roszkowski says a majority of older workers feel age discrimination can hurt their chances of getting a new job. So in your resume, highlight your skills, not your age, she says.

"Make sure you are highlighting your most recent experience. And while you want to include your credentials, you don't have to include graduation dates," she said.

And if you’re hanging on to an old Hotmail or AOL email account, upgrade to something more modern like Gmail. She also says it’s never too late to create a LinkedIn profile.

Millions of retirees like Rooch are now working again, whether for the money or to stay active.

"It's something to do, or I wouldn't know what to do," he said.

NBC News will cut ties with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel, hired last week as an on-air political contributor, following a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators, according to a memo from the top official of the network's news division.

The communication to network staff Tuesday from NBC News Group Chairman Cesar Conde comes four days after the network said that McDaniel had joined as a paid contributor to offer political analysis over all of its platforms, including the liberal cable news network MSNBC.

SEE MORE: Ronna McDaniel announces she's stepping down as RNC chair

The response from journalists and others within the network was swift — and public. Former "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd criticized his bosses on the air Sunday for the hire, saying he didn't know what to believe from her after she supported former President Donald Trump in "gaslighting" and "character assassination" following the 2020 election.

An extraordinary succession of MSNBC hosts — Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Nicolle Wallace, Jen Psaki and Lawrence O'Donnell — all publicly protested the decision to hire McDaniel on their shows Monday.

"It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to acknowledge that you're wrong," Maddow said on her show.

Todd said that many NBC News journalists were uncomfortable with the hiring because of McDaniel's "gaslighting" and "character assassination" while at the RNC.

For the first time, Southwest Airlines will be launching red-eyes into the skies, according to The Washington Post. 

The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green made the announcement at an air travel conference last week, stating the company hopes to add overnight flights from Las Vegas to Hawaii specifically, the Post reported. 

Southwest is one of the few airlines that has never offered red-eye flights, a term used to describe a flight that departs at night and arrives at its destination the next morning. The name comes from the idea that a lack of sleep from overnight travel can result in bloodshot eyes. 

Typically, overnight flights result in cheaper fares. They can also benefit airlines by utilizing planes that may sit overnight at airports instead of actively being used to bring in revenue. 

According to the Post, Green said he imagines there could be 50 red-eye flights per day for Southwest.

With the airline adding flight service to Hawaii in 2019, it was perhaps only a matter of time before it considered overnight flights. A flight from Las Vegas to the remote state takes approximately six to seven hours, making it a good option for customers to consider taking a red-eye. 

The Dallas-based airline cranks out approximately 4,000 flights across the U.S. per day. According to Southwest, it's the leading airline in the country for nonstop flights — which is another reason it would be a natural fit for the company to add overnight options to its itineraries. 

The Washington Post reported it may still be a few years out before Southwest will actually implement the new flights. 

SEE MORE: With all the recent headlines about plane incidents, is flying safe?

Visa and Mastercard announced a major settlement with U.S. merchants on Tuesday, potentially ending nearly two decades of litigation over the fees charged every time a credit or debit card is used in a store or restaurant.

The deal would lower and cap the fees charged by Visa and Mastercard and allow small businesses to collectively bargain for rates with the payment processors in a similar way that the large merchants do on their own now.

Industry groups for retailers both small and large said the settlement is a positive development, but far more needs to be done to remedy the current swipe-fee situation. They noted that the lowered fees would be only for a limited period of time — three to five years — after which the fees would return to their current levels.

"While this settlement is a step in the right direction and will provide a limited amount of short-term relief to small businesses, it does not solve the long-term anti-competitive rate-setting practices that are the root of this problem," said Jeff Brabant, vice president of federal government relations at the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocacy group. "As long as the credit card networks, Visa and Mastercard, get to set the interchange rates for every bank that issues a credit card, anti-competitive pricing will remain, and small businesses will continue to pay artificially high rates."

Swipe fees are paid to Visa, Mastercard and other credit card companies in exchange for enabling transactions. Merchants ultimately pass on those fees to consumers who use credit or debit cards. The fees are calculated as a fixed fee plus a percentage of the sales total, typically about 1% to 3%.

Increasingly, small businesses have begun posting signs near the register warning customers that they will pay more for the same item if they do not use cash.

According to the settlement announced Tuesday, Visa and Mastercard will cap the credit interchange fees until 2030, and the companies must negotiate the fees with merchant-buying groups.

The law firm that announced the settlement put the value of the savings in swipe fees at close to $30 billion.

The settlement stems from a 2005 lawsuit that alleged merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and that Visa and Mastercard and their member banks acted in violation of antitrust laws.

SEE MORE: FCC to require cable, satellite TV providers to list 'all-in' price

In 2018 Visa and Mastercard agreed to pay $6.2 billion as part of the long-running suit filed by a group of 19 merchants. But the lawsuit then had two pieces that needed to be resolved: a dispute over the rules Visa and Mastercard impose to accept their cards, and the merchants who chose not to participate in the settlement.

"This settlement is a mere drop in the bucket," said the Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group representing Target, Home Depot and other major chains. "It proves that merchants deserve injunctive relief, but whether the settlement terms proposed are sufficient to remedy the harm caused by the current interchange system needs to be carefully reviewed."

Mary Liz Curtin and her husband own two businesses, Leon & Lulu, a retail store in a converted vintage roller skating rink, and Three Cats Restaurant, a restaurant in a converted vintage movie theater, in Clawson, Michigan.

She said swipe fees have become a particular problem since the pandemic, when the use of cash plummeted. Most people use cards now, which means the roughly 3% swipe fee she pays eats up a lot more revenue than it used to.

"Like every retailer, our cash sales and check sales have plummeted because people are charging everything," Curtin said. "And that just means that there's a lovely slice of 3% off the top of all of your sales."

She welcomed the settlement.

"I am delighted in anything that will ameliorate the situation," she said. "I think this is going to help a little bit."

But she says swipe fees remain a "boondoggle."

Mike Roach, who co-owns Paloma Clothing with his wife in Portland, Oregon, said that once credit card mileage bonuses and other perks began to be the norm, card usage soared. He said swipe fees have been a significant cost of business -- before the pandemic, he calculated that there were some years his card fees were more than his (admittedly low) rent.

He said he thinks the settlement "isn't going to change anybody's bottom line by much," he said. "But it's a step in the right direction."

The settlement is in addition to a 2023 financial $5.54 billion settlement between Visa and Mastercard and 18 million businesses that accepted Visa or Mastercard during a 15-year period up to Jan. 25, 2019. Eligible merchants that received a claim form in the mail in December and January can claim a share of that settlement until May 31.

Shares in the parent company of former President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social rose 16% on it first day on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Shares for Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (DJT) surged by more than 40% in the first two hours of trading to about $70 per share. The stock began to settle later in the day, closing at nearly $60.

Trading was so intense at point point during the day, there was a brief pause in trading of DJT to allow investors time to address the stock's extreme volatility.

SEE MORE: Truth Social will go public on Tuesday, and could net Trump billions

Trump's social media company went public for the first time Tuesday morning after a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. was approved last week. The former president holds some 79 million shares in the newly combined company, giving him a 60% majority ownership and adding billions of dollars to his net worth. 

The merger came just weeks after Trump was ordered to pay $454 million in a civil fraud judgment out of New York — something his lawyers said was "not possible under the circumstances presented." However, an appeals court lowered the bond amount Monday, ruling that Trump must only come up with $175 million in 10 days in order to satisfy the judgment. 

"We will abide by the decision of the Appellate Division, and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash," Trump said in a statement after the ruling. 

SEE MORE: Trump wins lower bond in civil case; NY criminal trial set for April

However, it doesn't appear the former president will be able to cash out on his recent gains anytime soon to help pay his New York civil fraud judgement or any legal bills surrounding his other pending civil and criminal cases. According to the Wall Street Journal, people involved in high-stakes deals like the one that brought Truth Social to the public market are typically prohibited from buying or borrowing against their shares for at least six months.

Despite banana prices not being as heavily impacted by inflation as other foods, Trader Joe's has increased the price of the fruit from 19 cents per banana to 23 cents. 

The price hike marked the first time Trader Joe's has increased banana prices in over 20 years. How Trader Joe's sells bananas is unique. Unlike most grocery stores that sell them by the pound, Trader Joe's sells them per banana. 

"We recently changed the price of a single banana to 23 cents, which still represents a tremendous everyday value for bananas. We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for bananas at 19 cents each for more than two decades, we’ve now reached a point where this change is necessary," Trader Joe's said.

The price of organic bananas will remain at 29 cents. 

Trader Joe's said it has negotiated lower prices for other produce items. For instance, the chain says its green onions now are at their lowest prices in a decade. 

Trader Joe's also sells many other items by the number of items sold and not by pounds. 

A Scripps News reporter recently bought six bananas at an Ohio Trader Joe's location. The reporter spent $1.38, which is a 24-cent increase from earlier in the month. 

SEE MORE: Supermarkets profited off pandemic and supply chain problems, FTC says

The six bananas weighed just over 2.3 pounds. According to the consumer price index, an average pound of bananas cost 62.5 cents in February. Based on the consumer price index, 2.3 pounds of bananas cost about $1.61 at an average store. 

Banana prices have largely been resilient to inflation. After banana prices saw a huge increase during the recession of 2008-09, a pound of bananas has remained within a few cents of 60 cents per pound since 2010. 

Since the start of 2010, food at home prices have increased 42%. Meanwhile, bananas have gone up a mere 6%, according to the consumer price index. 

In an agreement made in fast food heaven, Krispy Kreme and McDonald's announced Tuesday an expanded partnership bringing doughnuts to McDonald's locations nationwide. 

McDonald's said in a press release that U.S. locations will begin serving Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the second half of 2024 with full nationwide availability expected by the end of 2026. McDonald's said that three varieties of Krispy Kreme doughnuts will be available: Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and Chocolate Iced Kream Filled. 

These doughnuts can be purchased individually or in boxes of six. They'll be available starting Tuesday morning and will be sold as long as supplies last. 

McDonald's tested selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts at 160 locations in Kentucky and said the test was "successful." 

“Since the launch of breakfast nearly 50 years ago, we’ve continued to offer new menu items, flavors and experiences that have made McDonald’s an irreplaceable part of fans’ morning routines,” said Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA’s chief marketing and customer experience officer. “This partnership is an exciting next step in that journey and a chance to unlock new business opportunities in the breakfast category and throughout the day. Our fans’ love for Krispy Kreme runs deep, and we can’t wait to make it even easier for them to satisfy their sweet tooth at McDonald’s restaurants across the country.”

SEE MORE: New Chick-fil-A won't have cashiers, drive-thru or dining room

According to QSR Magazine, McDonald's is the third-largest fast food chain in the U.S. with over 13,000 locations. Krispy Kreme ranks No. 48 with 369 stores. 

Even with Krispy Kreme being widely available in supermarkets, the company says this agreement nearly doubles the number of "access points" where the doughnuts can be purchased. 

Krispy Kreme said in celebration of Tuesday's announcement, it will give all customers a free Original Glazed doughnut at Krispy Kreme doughnut shops between 5-9 p.m. Tuesday. 

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and other top executives are stepping down from their roles amid recent controversy surrounding the safety of the company's planes.

The aviation giant announced Monday that Calhoun intends to resign at the end of the year. Board chairman Larry Kellner and Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, are also leaving the company. 

The executive reconstruction comes as Boeing has faced intense scrutiny following several safety issues involving the company's 737 Max jets. Earlier this year, a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet lost its door plug mid-flight, leaving a gaping hole in a plane full of passengers forced to make an emergency landing. 

SEE MORE: Panel discovered missing on United-operated Boeing 737 after landing

"It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve Boeing," Calhoun said in a letter to employees. "The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company. We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do." 

Calhoun was appointed to Boeing's top role in 2020 after former CEO Dennis Muilenburg was ousted in the aftermath of twin fatal 737 Max crashes.

Chick-fil-A is shifting its quality standards, allowing some antibiotics in its chicken starting this spring after a decade of committing to serving antibiotic-free products. 

The fast-food company announced the changes on its website, stating the decision was made to keep up with the supply needed to maintain its thousands of restaurant locations. 

Instead of using chicken that is never treated with antibiotics, Chick-fil-A plans to start implementing “No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine” (NAIHM) chicken, but a set date for the rollout was not specified. 

“NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick,” the company explained. 

Back in 2014, Chick-fil-A set a goal to have antibiotic-free chicken at all of its restaurants within five years. The company also committed to sourcing only cage-free eggs for its breakfast menu items by 2026. 

However, continued outbreaks of the avian flu at chicken farms across the U.S. have resulted in limited supplies and an uptick in prices. 

Chick-fil-A did not say the supply issues would affect its cage-free eggs goal. 

SEE MORE: New Chick-fil-A won't have cashiers, drive-thru or dining room

State Farm will discontinue coverage for 72,000 houses and apartments in California starting this summer, the insurance giant said this week, nine months after announcing it would not issue new home policies in the state.

The Illinois-based company, California's largest insurer, cited soaring costs, the increasing risk of catastrophes like wildfires and outdated regulations as reasons it won't renew the policies on 30,000 houses and 42,000 apartments, the Bay Area News Group reported Thursday.

"This decision was not made lightly and only after careful analysis of State Farm General's financial health, which continues to be impacted by inflation, catastrophe exposure, reinsurance costs, and the limitations of working within decades-old insurance regulations," the company said in a statement Wednesday.

"State Farm General takes seriously our responsibility to maintain adequate claims-paying capacity for our customers and to comply with applicable financial solvency laws," it continued. "It is necessary to take these actions now."

The move comes as California's elected insurance commissioner undertakes a yearlong overhaul of home insurance regulations aimed at calming the state's imploding market by giving insurers more latitude to raise premiums while extracting commitments from them to extend coverage in fire-risk areas, the news group said.

SEE MORE: People in this state pay 121% more for car insurance than US average

The California Department of Insurance said State Farm will have to answer questions from regulators about its decision to discontinue coverage.

"One of our roles as the insurance regulator is to hold insurance companies accountable for their words and deeds," Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller said. "We need to be confident in State Farm’s strategy moving forward to live up to its obligations to its California customers."

It was unclear whether the department would launch an investigation.

Last June, State Farm said it would stop accepting applications for all business and personal lines of property and casualty insurance, citing inflation, a challenging reinsurance market and "rapidly growing catastrophe exposure."

The company said the newly announced cancellations account for just over 2% of its California policies. It did not say where they are located or what criteria it used to determine that they would not be renewed.

Donald Trump is returning to the stock market.

Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with the former president's media business in a Friday vote. That means Trump Media & Technology Group, whose flagship product is social networking site Truth Social, will soon begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market.

Trump could receive a sizable payout in the process. He would own most of the combined company — or nearly 79 million shares. Multiply that by Digital World's closing stock price Thursday of $42.81, and the total value of Trump's stake could surpass $3 billion. The shares did fall 5% after the merger approval was announced.

The deal's greenlight arrives at a time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is facing his most costly legal battle to date: a $454 million judgment in a fraud lawsuit.

But Trump won't be able to cash out the Friday deal's windfall immediately, unless some things change, due to a "lock-up" provision that prevents company insiders from selling newly issued shares for six months.

Trump's presidential campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Trump's earlier foray into the stock market didn't end well. Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts went public in 1995 under the symbol DJT — the same symbol Trump Media will trade under. By 2004, Trump's casino company had filed for bankruptcy protection and was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

Ahead of the merger's approval, Digital World's regulatory filings listed many of the risks its investors face, as well as those of the Truth Social owner once Trump Media also goes public.

One risk, the company said, is that Trump would be entitled to vote in his own interest as a controlling stockholder — which may not always be in the interests of all shareholders. Digital World also cited the high rate of failure for new social media platforms, as well as Trump Media's expectation that it would lose money on its operations "for the foreseeable future."

Trump Media lost $49 million in the first nine months of last year, when it brought in just $3.4 million in revenue and had to pay $37.7 million in interest expenses.

Trump Media and Digital World first announced their merger plans in October 2021. In addition to a federal probe, the deal has faced a series of lawsuits leading up to Friday's vote.

Truth Social launched in February 2022, one year after Trump was banned from major social platforms including Facebook and Twitter, the platform now known as X, following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He's since been reinstated to both but has stuck with Truth Social as a megaphone for his message.

Trump promoted Truth Social in a post on the social media network Thursday evening, saying: "TRUTH SOCIAL IS MY VOICE, AND THE REAL VOICE OF AMERICA!!! MAGA2024!!!"

Trump Media hasn't so far disclose Truth Social's user numbers. But research firm Similarweb estimates that it had roughly 5 million active mobile and web users in February. That's far below TikTok's more than 2 billion and Facebook's 3 billion — but still higher than rivals like Parler, which has been offline for nearly a year but is planning a comeback, or Gettr, which had less than 2 million visitors in February.

SEE MORE: Prosecutors say Donald Trump's hush money trial should start April 15

Equipment used to jam radio frequencies has long been banned by the Federal Communications Commission for public use and sale. The FCC now appears poised to investigate companies, including Amazon, for selling jamming devices. 

NBC News reported that Amazon was among several companies under investigation for allegedly selling devices that jam radio frequencies, including ones used to block drone signals or thwart home security devices. The FCC's announcement of an investigation came after NBC News reported that Amazon listed several such potentially illegal devices being sold by third-party companies. 

The FCC confirmed the investigation in a statement to Scripps News. 

“We have several ongoing investigations into retailers, including Amazon, for potential violations of Commission rules related to the marketing and sale of equipment without proper FCC authorization," said Will Wiquist, spokesperson for the FCC. 

SEE MORE: DOJ sues Apple in sweeping antitrust suit over iPhone monopoly in US

Scripps News has contacted Amazon for its response. 

The Communications Act of 1934 has a section that specifically says the sale of such devices violates the law. 

"Section 302(b) of the Act prohibits the manufacture, importation, sale, offer for sale, or operation of devices that do not comply with the equipment authorization rules," the rules said. "Jammers do not comply with the rules because they are designed to jam or disrupt authorized communications."

The FCC has even notified law enforcement agencies that local police are prohibited from using such devices.

Not only is it illegal to use or sell such devices, it is also illegal for them to be imported into the U.S. The FCC says those violating the rule can be punished with a fine of over $100,000 for each offense.

"Signal jamming devices can prevent you and others from making 911 and other emergency calls and pose serious risks to public safety communications, as well as interfere with other forms of day-to-day communications.

"The use of a phone jammer, GPS blocker, or other signal jamming device designed to intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications is a violation of federal law.  There are no exemptions for use within a business, classroom, residence, or vehicle," the FCC said. 

A new study by MarketWatch found Floridians are paying some of the highest car insurance premiums in the country right now.

"Rates are up pretty much everywhere, but Florida is definitely up there," David Straughan, an analyst with MarketWatch, said.

According to the study, the average premium for a full-coverage auto insurance policy in Florida jumped 10.1% in 2023.

"One of the things we found out towards the end of that study is the number of uninsured drivers is 20% in 2019, which is the last kind of year we have as reliable data for that," Straughan said.

That's one reason for the spike, according to MarketWatch, along with an increase in car thefts.

"It's been up, ranked fourth overall in 2022, which is the last available year that we have for that data," Straughan said. "Natural disasters, which also is a big reason why home insurance is up, are a huge threat in a lot of parts of Florida."

The study found Florida is currently the second-most-expensive state for full auto coverage — which typically costs $3,244 per year — and the most expensive for minimum coverage, costing around $1,345 per year.

According to MarketWatch, that's 121% higher than the national average.

In West Palm Beach, MarketWatch found an average driver can expect to pay $244 monthly and nearly $3,000 for coverage each year.

"What we've heard from the insurance experts we've talked to is it's not likely to go down any time soon," Straughan said.

In the meantime, MarketWatch created a list of the most affordable car insurers in Florida. State Farm, Geico and Travelers are at the top of the list.

"The difference between two providers for the same policy could be hundreds of dollars a year. And right now, especially as things are getting tight for everybody, that could make a huge difference," Straughan said.

You can read the full study and compare prices by clicking here.

This story was originally published by Jessica Bruno at Scripps News West Palm Beach.

Elon Musk's startup neurotechnology company Neuralink has shared new footage that purportedly shows the first patient with a brain-implanted device demonstrating how it works.

Neuralink posted a video on social media Wednesday introducing 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh as the "first telekinetic" human with the company's implanted brain–computer interface. Arbaugh explains that he is a quadriplegic who was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a "freak diving accident" about eight years ago, but is now able to control a computer cursor — and play digital chess — just by using his mind.

https://t.co/OMIeGGjYtG

— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024

"I love playing chess and so this is one of the things that y'all [Neuralink] have enabled me to do, something I wasn't able to really do much the last few years, especially not like this," Arbaugh said. "I have used like a mouth stick and stuff, but now it's all being done with my brain. Y'all can see the cursor moving around the screen. That's all me."

A Neuralink engineer filming the video then asks Arbaugh if he can pause the music that is playing in the background, which he is also seemingly able to do without moving any of his limbs.

"It's all brain power," Arbaugh said.

In addition to playing chess, Arbaugh goes on to explain that he's also used Neuralink to play other video games for several hours on end — something he wasn't able to do before.

"It just wasn't really feasible [before] for me to play a full game or anything, and now I can just lie in bed and play to my heart's content," Arbaugh said. "Honestly, the biggest restriction at this point was like having to wait for the implant to charge once I used all of it. So, play for eight hours, have to get off and let it charge for a while and then hopefully be able to play some more."

SEE MORE: First human Neuralink patient can move a mouse cursor, Elon Musk says

Billionaire Musk, who founded Neuralink in 2016, shared the video of Arbaugh on his social media site X saying it demonstrated "telepathy." According to Neuralink's website, the company's mission statement is to "create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow."  

Neuralink was granted FDA approval for a human study on brain implants back in May 2023. This came as the company was reportedly under investigation for animal cruelty allegations during the preliminary testing phase of the technology.  

The nonprofit organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine issued a statement calling for an investigation into the biotech company in September 2023 after the death of a dozen monkeys on which the brain implant was being tested.

Scripps News reached out to Neuralink for more information about the implant and patient, but has not yet received a response. The company's claim that its brain-implanted device can provide telekinetic capabilities for humans has not been independently verified.

The next time you try a Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookie, you may notice it tastes different than in years past. 

Foodmaker Mondelēz International announced this week that the updated recipe will mean a better cookie texture and "the right amount of chocolate chips."

The company said the texture will be changing because it's implementing a different mixing process. The new chocolate chips being used also apparently have a higher cacao content, as well as a higher-concentrate Madagascar vanilla extract. 

The company says the combination gives the cookie a "well-rounded chocolate flavor while reducing bitterness."

An official for Chips Ahoy! said developers spent more than 5,000 hours in the kitchen and tested more than 60 recipes before getting the desired result. 

"This was a daunting task, we heard time and again 'don't mess with the cookies we love,' but we knew we could bring Chips Ahoy! fans an even higher quality cookie," said Sabrina Sierant, senior director for Chips Ahoy! 

The cookie industry is about a $12 billion market in the U.S., according to a 2023 market research report from Technavio. The report predicts the industry will grow by nearly 5% by 2028.

So when can you get your hands on the new Chips Ahoy! cookies? Mondelēz International says they will be in select stores this month and rolled out nationally in April. 

SEE MORE: Subway switching from Coke to Pepsi in 2025

Details on Reddit's initial public offering scheduled for Thursday have swirled in recent days, along with speculation — but, as the company is guided to a final position for the deal by shareholders and investment banks, the IPO is expected to be at the top of the target range, according to multiple reports. 

The company will be listed under the ticker symbol "RDDT." The target range is between $31 to $34 per share ahead of going public on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Reddit has reserved 8% of the total shares for retail investors. Those eligible include friends and family members of employees and directors, moderators, eligible platform users and some board members, Reuters reported. 

SEE MORE: Reddit, YouTube to face lawsuits claiming they enabled a mass shooter

The site, which was launched in 2005, boasts some 73 million daily active users and around 267 million weekly active users, and makes over 100,000 active forum boards or "subreddits" available for conversations and discussions. 

Mashable Sr. Technology Reporter Matt Binder said that while the site has had to evolve somewhat over the years to keep up with the times, it has tried to remain true to its original self. Some users worry it will change dramatically after the IPO.

Binder said, "The community has now felt that [Reddit CEO Steve Huffman] has now turned his back on them, based on recent changes to Reddit. For example last year, Huffman was apparently inspired by Elon Musk's changes to Twitter or X, that the community on Reddit wasn't a fan of."

The company made a profit of more than $18 million in the October-December 2023 quarter, driven mostly by advertising. 

This will be Reddit's second attempt at going public after the company filed for an IPO in December 2021. 

The city of Chicago sued Glock Inc. on Tuesday, alleging the handgun manufacturer is facilitating the proliferation of illegal machine guns that can fire as many as 1,200 rounds per minute on the streets of the city.

The lawsuit alleges Glock unreasonably endangers Chicagoans by manufacturing and selling semi-automatic pistols that can easily be converted to illegal machine guns with an auto sear — a cheap, small device commonly known as a "Glock switch." The switches are the size of a quarter and are easily purchased illegally online for around $20 or manufactured at home using a 3D printer.

The complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court is the first to use Illinois's new Firearms Industry Responsibility Act, passed and signed into law in 2023 to hold gun companies accountable for conduct that endangers the public.

The lawsuit states police in Chicago have recovered over 1,100 Glocks that have been converted into illegal machine guns in the last two years in connection with homicides, assaults, kidnappings, carjackings and other crimes.

SEE MORE: Modified guns capable of high-caliber damage are making their mark

The lawsuit alleges that Glock knows it could fix the problem but refuses to do so, and seeks a court order requiring the company to stop selling guns to people in Chicago. It also seeks unspecified damages.

"The City of Chicago is encountering a deadly new frontier in the gun violence plaguing our communities because of the increase of fully automatic Glocks on our streets," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release.

"Selling firearms that can so easily be converted into automatic weapons makes heinous acts even more deadly, so we are doing everything we can in collaboration with others committed to ending gun violence to hold Glock accountable for putting profits over public safety," Johnson said.

Joining the city in the lawsuit is Everytown Law, a Washington-based firm that seeks to advance gun safety laws in the courts.

"Right now, anyone in the United States with $20 and a screwdriver can convert their Glock pistol into an illegal machine gun in just a few minutes," said Eric Tirschwell, executive director of Everytown Law.

Phone messages were left with Smyrna, Georgia-based Glock seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The Biden administration announced billions of dollars in new funds for chipmaker Intel on Wednesday, touting the investment as a way to boost U.S. competitiveness in a burgeoning high-tech market.

Intel will get as much as $8.5 billion in direct federal funding and will have access to another $11 billion in loans. The money, delivered in part from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, is expected to go to building and modernizing chip plants in Arizona, Ohio, Oregon and New Mexico.

This is the fourth such disbursement directed by the CHIPS act. The money has been critical in helping chip companies commit to domestic investment, officials say.

Intel said in a press release the new funds would feed into its ongoing plans to invest $100 billion over five years in the U.S. The company said its efforts would create more than 10,000 new jobs within the company, and temporarily support at least twice that number of construction jobs in the process.

SEE MORE: GlobalFoundries gets $1.5 billion in federal chip-manufacturing funds

Right now, more than 90% of advanced chips come from Taiwan, which officials have framed as an economic and national security risk for the U.S. The chips are used in everything from consumer goods and vehicles to military applications.

"The semiconductor industry is absolutely critical for our long term economic strength," said Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, in an interview with Scripps News. "We rely on semiconductors and microchips to power all of our devices, all of our equipment, so our phones, our computers, certainly our cars. And so this investment in Intel is a huge down payment for our future, to make sure that we have that resilient supply chain of semiconductors that we need to out-compete the rest of the world."

According to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Intel's cash infusion could help drive the U.S. share of worldwide production of advanced chips from 0% to 20%.

"Leading-edge chips are the core of our innovation system, especially when it comes to advances in artificial intelligence and our military systems," Raimondo told reporters. "We can’t just design chips. We have to make them in America."

JetBlue Airways will end service at several cities and reduce flying out of Los Angeles in a move to retrench and focus on stronger markets after years of losing money.

The changes will also help the airline cope with the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt & Whitney engines, an executive told employees Tuesday.

Beginning June 13, JetBlue will pull out of Kansas City, Missouri; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Dave Jehn, the airline's vice president of network planning, said in a memo to employees.

SEE MORE: JetBlue, Spirit airlines end plans to merge

Also in June, the New York-based airline will drop several destinations from Los Angeles including Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami. It will end flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Nashville; New Orleans and Salt Lake City, and service between New York and Detroit.

JetBlue has lost more than $2 billion since its last profitable year, 2019. The airline tried to grow through a partnership and a merger, but the Biden administration’s Justice Department sued to kill both deals.

Last May, a federal judge ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to dissolve a partnership they created in Boston and New York. In January another judge blocked JetBlue from buying Spirit, saying the proposed $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust law.

The architect of those unsuccessful deals, Robin Hayes, stepped down as CEO in February and was replaced by Joanna Geraghty.

SEE MORE: JetBlue's new CEO will be the 1st woman to lead a big US airline

Frustrated by the courtroom defeats, JetBlue under Geraghty is turning toward growing on its own, which will take much longer.

Even before the change in CEOs, investor Carl Icahn began to buy nearly 10% of JetBlue stock, and his side got two seats on the airline board.

The airline has struggled to improve its operation. JetBlue ranked ninth out of the nation’s 10 largest airlines in both canceled flights and on-time arrivals last year, according to U.S. Transportation Department numbers.

Don't waste hundreds of dollars on a secondhand Trader Joe's mini tote bag, just buy one yourself … in a couple of months.

The viral accessory swiftly sold out nationwide weeks ago after unexpectedly causing a Stanley cup-type of chaos in stores, with videos on social media capturing shoppers fighting to grab as many bags as possible. 

But now with no current restocks, those eager to get their hands on this year's "it" bag are faced with two choices: wait until late summer to buy one at the hefty retail price of $2.99 or — and this is a hard choice — buy from an online reseller for a small fee of $999.

Yes, one eBay listing is actually selling a set of all four colors of the mini canvas tote — green, yellow, red and black — for a whopping $999.99, which is just $988.03 over the retail cost of four bags. The kicker? The listing states that two sets have already sold.

Another eBay seller is asking $740 for all four colors, while one wants $700 for just the yellow model. One of the cheapest mini tote listings I saw asked for $20.99, which is still $18 over retail.

SEE MORE: Stores sell out of Trader Joe's mini tote bags after viral fame

All this to say, the Trader Joe's mini tote bag has become a sensation — to the surprise of the company, too. But whether you want one for the trend, or maybe you just want something to pack your lunch in, mark your calendar for late August and early September. KTLA reported that's likely the time frame when mini totes will be back in stores. 

A spokesperson for Trader Joe's also confirmed to Scripps News that a restock is coming in late summer, and they suggest customers don't fall for the sky-high eBay listings before then.

"Our Mini Canvas Tote Bags certainly sold more quickly than we anticipated. Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe's," Nakia Rohde, Trader Joe's public relations manager, said to Scripps News. "Our customers, in our stores, are our focus; we do not endorse the re-sale of any of our products, anywhere. We do have more Trader Joe's Mini Canvas Tote Bags coming. Customers can expect to see them in our stores in late summer."

In the meantime, Trader Joe's still has its classic canvas bags for those itching for a branded bag; those will just be a bit bigger than the 11-inches-tall and 6-inches-wide minis.

We knew that the Crunchwrap Supreme was revolutionary, and now Taco Bell, its creator, has landed a spot on the list of the "World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024."

Fast Company, a top business media brand, released its annual list of 50 companies that have shaped the industry or culture through their innovations. Topping the list is Nvidia, a tech company that has grown tremendously due to its use and distribution of artificial intelligence. 

“AI running on Nvidia hardware changing everyday life as profoundly as electricity once did. But if anything, it understates Nvidia’s sweeping influence on the current moment,” Fast Company wrote. 

In the top 20, Novo Nordisk is recognized for its work on Ozempic and Wegovy. Microsoft is there too, praised for using AI in its products. The United Auto Workers also made waves with their fair labor movement last year, and Mattel made the list for bringing a 65-year-old doll back to life with "Barbie" the movie, along with many other notable companies.

But two companies that caught our attention in the top 20 were Taco Bell, sitting at No. 8, and Taylor Swift Productions, sitting at No. 15. 

Taco Bell gained its seat in the top 10 most innovative companies for liberating the phrase "Taco Tuesday" for all, when they filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office last year to allow restaurants to freely promote the phrase without infringing on the trademark after a smaller chain, Taco John’s, had been claiming it as theirs since 1989.

"This is America’s fourth-biggest fast-food chain, after all, with about $14 billion in annual sales across 7,200 restaurants. It risked being seen as a bully. Instead, the ad campaign drove more than 21 billion media impressions in just a few months, and succeeded," Fast Company wrote.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift Productions, owned by the pop star everyone can't stop talking about, made the list after her "Eras Tour" surpassed $1 billion in revenue. Fast Company noted this was before even getting to the international phase of the tour. 

"Aided by her strategy of rerecording her masters, she accounted for 1.3% of all songs streamed in the U.S. last year and sold more than 1 million vinyl copies of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) after its November release," said Fast Company. "She took home Album of the Year at the 2024 Grammys, and her next album is imminent. And her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, upended Hollywood."

A New York judge ruled Reddit, YouTube and YouTube’s parent companies Google and Alphabet Inc. must face lawsuits that allege their content algorithms contributed to the radicalization of an 18-year-old gunman who executed a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 Black people in 2022. 

The lawsuits were filed last year by gun control advocacy group Everytown Law, which specializes in this type of litigation, on behalf of 25 survivors of the massacre at a Tops Friendly Market. 

The tech companies claim that their platforms are merely message boards and are therefore protected by the Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment, but their motion to dismiss was denied on Monday by Erie County Supreme Court Justice Paula Feroleto. 

In the decision she wrote, “they may yet establish that their platforms are not products or that the negligent design features plaintiffs have alleged are not part of their platforms. However, at this stage of the litigation, the Court must base its ruling on the allegations of the complaint and not ‘facts’ asserted by the defendants in their briefs or during oral argument and those allegations allege viable causes of action under a products liability theory.”

Everytown said these social media sites have a “well-documented tendency to addict teenagers” built within their recommendation algorithms and features. 

“The shooter was addicted to these websites, and these websites radicalized him against the Black community and equipped him with the knowledge he needed to execute his horrific plans,” said Everytown  when the lawsuits were first filed. “These websites’ design features and algorithms shepherded him along the path of radicalization and taught him how to obtain military-grade armaments like his body armor, modify his weapon to enable its semi-automatic firing capacity, and conduct a military-style assault operation with deadly efficiency.”

SEE MORE: White supremacist gets life sentence for Buffalo supermarket massacre

Representatives for YouTube and Reddit provided separate statements on the decision to CNN, both stating they plan to appeal and evaluate their individual platforms. 

The companies are also currently facing scrutiny over extremist material in Australia, along with Meta, X, WhatsApp and Telegram. According to The Associated Press, the country’s eSafety regulator issued legal notices Tuesday asking each company to detail the steps they are taking to protect Australian users of the platforms from harmful material.

Unilever, the company that makes Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Dove soap and Vaseline, said Tuesday that it is cutting 7,500 jobs and spinning off its ice cream business to reduce costs and boost profits.

London-based Unilever said its ice cream business, which also includes Magnum bars, has "distinct characteristics" from its other brands and would benefit from separate ownership to increase growth. It said the split is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

The British consumer goods company with 128,000 employees also said it is launching a "productivity program" that is expected to lead to a reduction of about 7,500 mostly office-based jobs worldwide.

Unilever said it will invest in technology to find efficiencies and avoid duplication, which it anticipates will help it save $867 million over the next three years. The company also laid off 1,500 staffers in early 2022.

"Simplifying our portfolio and driving greater productivity will allow us to further unlock the potential of this business, supporting our ambition to position Unilever as a world-leading consumer goods company delivering strong, sustainable growth and enhanced profitability," said CEO Hein Schumacher, who took the helm at Unilever last summer.

The company's shares jumped more than 3% in late-morning trading on the London Stock Exchange.

"The share price bounce goes some way in reversing what has been a difficult last year, as investors have fretted over a company with limited high growth prospects and in need of streamlining despite its reputation as a solid defensive play," said Richard Hunter, head of markets for interactive investor, an online investment service.

SEE MORE: Major companies including Microsoft, Google and Amazon cutting jobs

The company behind Hellman's mayonnaise, Axe fragrances and Cif household cleaners said it is targeting underlying sales growth of mid-single digits after spinning off the ice cream business.

It saw sales volume drop 3.6% in 2022 after jacking up prices 13.3% on average across its brands that year. In response, it raised prices just 2.8% last year, and sales rose 1.8%.

Some analysts pointed out that splitting from Ben & Jerry's, which is known for social activism that has put it at odds at times with its corporate owner, could have an added upside for Unilever.

"A side benefit of the brand exiting Unilever's portfolio is it might quieten the 'go woke and go broke' noise, but more widely the reasoning for the decision looks pretty sound," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, a financial services company.

He noted that the ice cream spinoff had not been widely anticipated by the market even if "political pronouncements from Ben & Jerry's had provoked a meltdown among some investors."

Ben & Jerry's has supported liberal issues like LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter, justice for migrants and efforts to fight climate change.

The brand announced in 2021 that it would stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem — territories sought by the Palestinians.

Unilever later announced that it was selling its business interest in Ben & Jerry's in Israel to its Israeli licensee, which would market the products with Hebrew and Arabic labels. A U.S. judge rejected a lawsuit in 2022 from Ben & Jerry's to block that plan.

More recently, since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Ben & Jerry's independent board chair Anuradha Mittal has called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

Tesla and a Black man who worked at the company's California factory have settled a long-running discrimination case that drew attention to the electric vehicle maker's treatment of minorities.

Owen Diaz, who was awarded nearly $3.2 million by a federal jury last April, reached a "final, binding settlement agreement that fully resolves all claims," according to a document filed Friday with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The document, which gave no details of the agreement, said both parties agree that the matter has been resolved and the case against the company run by Elon Musk can be dismissed.

Messages were left Saturday seeking details from Tesla lawyers and from Lawrence Organ, Diaz's attorney.

The April verdict was the second one reached in Diaz's case seeking to hold Tesla liable for allowing him to be subjected to racial epithets and other abuses during his brief tenure at the Fremont, California, factory run by the pioneering automaker.

But the eight-person jury in the latest trial, which lasted five days, arrived at a dramatically lower damages number than the $137 million Diaz won in his first trial in 2021. U.S. District Judge William Orrick reduced that award to $15 million, prompting Diaz and his lawyers to seek a new trial rather than accept the lower amount.

In November, Organ filed a notice that Diaz would appeal the $3.2 million verdict, and Tesla filed a notice of cross-appeal.

SEE MORE: Black workers at California Tesla factory allege rampant racism

The case, which dates back to 2017, centers on allegations that Tesla didn't take action to stop a racist culture at the factory located about 40 miles southeast of San Francisco. Diaz alleged he was called the "n-word" more than 30 times, shown racist cartoons and told to "go back to Africa" during his roughly nine-month tenure at Tesla that ended in 2016.

The same Tesla plant is in the crosshairs of a racial discrimination case brought by California regulators. Tesla has adamantly denied the allegations made in state court and lashed back by accusing regulators of abusing their authority. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a similar complaint in September.

Musk, Tesla's CEO and largest shareholder, moved the company's headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, in 2021, partly because of tensions with various California agencies over practices at the Fremont factory.

Even though inflation is cooling, prices are still higher than they were pre-pandemic. They've hit low-income consumers the hardest, which is why many of them shop at dollar stores. 

There are three giants in the "retail value" world: Dollar General, Family Dollar, and its parent company, Dollar Tree.

Despite the store names, most products they carry cost more than a dollar. Dollar Tree's base price is $1.25, while prices at Family Dollar and Dollar General range between $1 and $10. 

In a consumer experiment, a reporter from Scripps News Tampa shopped at four different stores and bought the same five items: a snack pack of tuna, soda, pasta, Kraft Mac & Cheese and a brownie mix. At Dollar Tree, the total for all five products came out to $6.75. They were four cents more at Walmart. The price ticked up to $8.45 at Family Dollar, and the total at Publix was $9.81. 

While prices will vary, dollar stores aren't just about saving money; sometimes, they're the only option.

SEE MORE: Dollar Tree, Family Dollar to close 1,000 locations

"So many smaller mom and pop and independent stores have had to shutter because of competition from dollar stores, and those very communities now are faced with the very real threat of having no retail," said Consumer Reports deputy editor Brian Vines.

A Consumer Reports survey from 2021 found nearly 90% of Americans shop at dollar stores at least a few times a year. Most make under $30,000, live in rural areas and are primarily buying cleaning supplies and home decor. Nearly half of the customers are buying food, the report says. 

Last week, Dollar Tree said it plans to close 600 underperforming Family Dollar locations between now and June. An additional 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores will close at the end of each store's current lease term, the company said. Vines hopes the closures will turn into an opportunity for bigger retailers to jump in and help underserved markets."We're thinking about independent grocery stores or other folks who can really provide robust offerings. They see fertile ground now that those value retailers who've undercut them in the past aren't operating in the space," he said. 

A class-action lawsuit against Apple claiming stalkers are using its AirTag devices to track their victims can move forward after the company’s motion to dismiss the case fully was denied Friday by a judge in San Francisco, according to court documents. 

Over three dozen women and men who filed the lawsuit in 2022 claim Apple ignored warnings about how the devices could be used for stalking before they were released and its alleged failure to mitigate the dangers of the AirTags makes them responsible for the misconduct under California law. 

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled Friday that three of the plaintiffs can proceed with their claims, dismissing the others in a separate ruling. 

“Apple may ultimately be right that California law did not require it to do more to diminish the ability of stalkers to use AirTags effectively, but that determination cannot be made at this early stage,” the judge wrote in the decision. 

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs said AirTags have “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.”

The small device was launched by Apple in 2021 as a means to keep track of things like keys and purses through users' phones and Bluetooth technology. But the accuracy, ease of use and affordability of the devices is exactly what the plaintiffs say makes it so dangerous and so easy for stalkers to use.

While Apple has added more safety features for the devices over time, the plaintiffs argue it’s not enough or the features have defects. 

“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” Apple said in a 2022 statement regarding the safety of the device. “Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag.”

A spokesperson for Apple did not reply to Scripps News’ request for comment on the case. 

A similar lawsuit was filed in 2023 against Tile, its parent company Life360 and its business partner Amazon regarding the safety of its Tile Tracker devices. 

SEE MORE: Virginia cashier who gave tracking device to girl won't face jail time

Fabric and crafts retailer Joann has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as consumers continue to cut back on discretionary spending.

In a Monday release, the Hudson, Ohio-based company said that it expected to emerge from bankruptcy as early as the end of next month. Following this process, Joann will likely become privately owned by certain lenders and industry parties, the company added — meaning its shares would no longer be publicly traded on stock exchanges.

Joann's more than 800 stores and its website will continue to operate normally during the bankruptcy process. Vendors, landlords and other trade creditors should also not see any pay disruptions, the company said, pointing to a deal it had struck with most of its shareholders for financial support.

In addition to Monday's filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Joann said it had received about $132 million in new financing and expected to reduce its balance sheet's funded debt by about $505 million.

SEE MORE: The Body Shop ceases US operations, closes dozens of Canada stores

Scott Sekella, Joann’s chief financial officer and co-lead of the CEO’s interim office, stated that the transaction support agreement marked a “significant step forward” in addressing the company’s capital structure needs.

Joann listed more than $2.44 billion in total debts and about $2.26 billion in total assets in Monday's Chapter 11 petition, which was filed in Delaware, citing October 2023 data.

The company, which was founded back in 1943, previously went private in 2011 — when it was purchased by equity firm Leonard Green & Partners for about $1.6 billion.

A decade later Joann, still majority owned by Leonard Green & Partners, went public in an initial public offering at $12 a share.

SEE MORE: Burger King takes over 1,000 locations, plans major remodels

Target has implemented new self-checkout rules at many of its locations as some retailers have said self-checkouts can cause an increase in theft. The new rules will apply at most of Target's nearly 2,000 locations. 

Target said that customers will now be limited to 10 items for self-checkout. With fewer transactions being eligible for self-checkouts, Target says it will open more traditional checkout lanes. 

The new rules went into effect on Sunday.

The company said that it began testing express self-checkouts during the pandemic at 200 locations and said it led to faster checkout times. 

"Self-checkout was twice as fast at our pilot stores. By having the option to pick self-checkout for a quick trip, or a traditional, staffed lane when their cart is full, guests who were surveyed told us the overall checkout experience was better, too," Target said.

Earlier this month, Target Executive Vice President Michael Fiddelke said the company lost $500 million more in shrink in 2023 than in 2022. Shrink is the industry term for losses companies incur when products are stolen or not properly sold. 

"Happily, we've seen some encouraging trends recently resulting from both the actions we've taken and the community efforts we're seeing across the country," Fiddelke said. "I want to give a quick shout out to our assets protection and information security teams who are working around the clock to protect the safety of our team and our guests."

SEE MORE: Costco trying out new system for shoppers entering its stores

And there are reasons to believe customers will embrace the changes made by Target.

A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Business Research by researchers from Drexel University and the University of San Diego indicated that self-checkouts can damage customer loyalty. 

The study found that as customers are forced to scan more items, their checkout experience becomes less rewarding. The researchers also said that customers experienced negative consequences with larger orders, such as the extra effort to bag purchases. 

 "For both moderately sized and large baskets, regular checkout systems have a positive impact on customers’ loyalty to the store," the study said. 

DoorDash has unveiled a new artificial intelligence tool that now monitors messages between customers and delivery drivers in an effort to combat harmful language and make the platform safer.

The popular food delivery company announced this week that it's launched SafeChat+, a new feature within the DoorDash app that leverages the power of AI to detect and prevent verbal harassment or abuse. Depending on the situation, DoorDash says if the tool recognizes any inappropriate rhetoric, then there will be an option to either cancel the order if you're a delivery driver or report the incident if you're a customer.

The company said if the order is already completed, then SafeChat+ will automatically block any future messages in order to prevent the situation from escalating. All incidents identified by the new tool will also be investigated by the company's Trust & Safety team.

SEE MORE: The White House wants feedback on keeping AI private or open-source

According to a company press release, DoorDash claims that SafeChat+ has the power to review more than 1,400 messages a minute and can translate dozens of languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Mandarin. However, the company said the tool doesn't have access to any personal user information and will only be used to monitor for abusive language. 

DoorDash claims 99.99% of deliveries on its platform are completed without any safety-related incidents, but said  SafeChat+ will "make our platform even safer and provide a better experience for everyone."

Chick-fil-A is opening a location that does not have a dining room, drive-thru or cashiers, as the new location opening in Manhattan next week will be for mobile pickups only. 

It is Chick-fil-A's first location that only uses mobile ordering. It is one of two concepts the fast food chicken chain is trying. Chick-fil-A is also trying out a drive-thru-only concept in Atlanta. That restaurant will have designated pickup lanes for those using a mobile app.

At the new pickup-only location, customers will place orders on an app, and the restaurant will use GPS tracking to have the order ready when a customer arrives. Chick-fil-A said active status board screens will be designated for delivery or mobile pickup to alert customers when their order is ready. 

Chick-fil-A said the new concept is designed for "on-the-go New Yorkers." 

SEE MORE: McDonald's system outages are reported around the world

The new concept comes as Chick-fil-A grows the use of its mobile app, which the company says is becoming a larger share of its customer base. 

“At Chick-fil-A, we are always looking for ways to innovate and enhance the guest experience,” said Nathaniel Cates, senior principal design lead for Chick-fil-A, Inc. “While digital concepts are becoming more prevalent, it’s important that we evolve in a uniquely Chick-fil-A way – meeting the changing needs of our customers without compromising the signature service and care they’ve grown to know and love.” 

Chick-fil-A has more than 3,000 locations across the United States and Canada.

Lyft and Uber said they will cease operations in Minneapolis after the City Council voted Thursday to override a mayoral veto and require that ride-hailing services increase driver wages to the equivalent of the local minimum wage of $15.57 an hour.

Lyft called the ordinance “deeply flawed,” saying in a statement that it supports a minimum earning standard for drivers but not the one passed by the Council.

“It should be done in an honest way that keeps the service affordable for riders,” Lyft said. “This ordinance makes our operations unsustainable, and as a result, we are shutting down operations in Minneapolis when the law takes effect on May 1.”

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but news outlets reported that it issued a similar statement saying it would also stop service that day.

SEE MORE: Sen. Bernie Sanders pushes for 4-day workweek with no loss of pay

Both companies promised to push for statewide legislation that would counter the Minneapolis ordinance, and state House Republicans proposed a bill Thursday that would preempt local regulations of ride-hailing services.

The City Council first passed the measure last week in a 9-4 vote despite Mayor Jacob Frey’s promise to veto it. The measure requires ride-hailing companies to pay drivers at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute for the time spent transporting a rider — or $5 per ride, whichever is greater — excluding tips. In the event of a multi-city trip, that only applies to the portion that takes place within Minneapolis.

Critics of the bill say costs will likely spike for everyone, including people with low incomes and people with disabilities who rely on ride-hailing services. Supporters say the services have relied on drivers who are often people of color and immigrants for cheap labor.

“Drivers are human beings with families, and they deserve dignified minimum wages like all other workers,” Jamal Osman, a Council member who co-authored the policy, said in a statement.

“Today’s vote showed Uber, Lyft, and the Mayor that the Minneapolis City Council will not allow the East African community, or any community, to be exploited for cheap labor,” Osman added. “The Council chooses workers over corporate greed.”

Democratic Gov Tim Walz, who vetoed a bill last year that would have boosted pay for Uber and Lyft drivers, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was concerned because so many depend on those services, including disabled people.

He said he believed the companies would pull the plug, “and there’s nothing to fill that gap.”

Walz added that he hopes the Legislature will seek a compromise that both includes fair pay for drivers and dissuades the companies from leaving.

Seattle and New York City have passed similar policies in recent years that increase wages for ride-hailing drivers, and Uber and Lyft still operate in those cities.

Adidas said Wednesday that it's donated or is planning to give away more than $150 million to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate from the sales of Yeezy shoes last year after it severed ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

The German sportswear brand had $1.3 billion worth of popular Yeezy sneakers piled up in warehouses after it broke off its partnership with Ye in October 2022 over his antisemitic and other offensive comments on social media and in interviews.

Adidas decided to sell some of the remaining shoes in batches, with two releases last year and another that launched late last month, and donate a portion of the proceeds to anti-hate groups.

The company has made donations to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, run by social justice advocate Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd.

SEE MORE: Adidas rakes in $437 million from first sale of Yeezy stockpile

Net sales of what's left of Adidas' former banner line of sneakers brought in about $800 million last year, compared with over $1.3 billion in 2022, the company reported.

Of the roughly $326 million profit it earned from the sales of Yeezy shoes last year, the company said it had given away or planned to donate over $150 million.

Adidas said deciding to sell a big chunk of its Yeezy inventory and improved operations helped it pull out operating profit of nearly $300 million last year, a nearly 60% plunge from the previous year. It blamed a high tax rate for ending the year with a net loss of about $63 million, a massive turnaround from net income of about $276 million in 2022.

“Although by far not good enough, 2023 ended better than what I had expected at the beginning of the year," said CEO Bjørn Gulden, who took over the top job last year.

SEE MORE: Kanye and wife banned for life by Italian boat company after lewd act

Looking forward, Adidas expects to make about $272 million in sales of the remaining Yeezy shoes this year.

But the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based company points to North America as a persistent problem spot, expecting revenue to decline in the mid-single digits this year and grow everywhere else. It said that North America was “particularly affected by the negative Yeezy impact” and that revenue there dropped 16% last year.

Adidas expects to almost double operating profit to about $544 million this year despite “macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical tensions.” It plans to further scale up popular shoe lines like Samba that are seeing “extraordinary demand,” launch new ones and get a boost from major sports events like the Paris Olympics this summer.

Adidas shares were up slightly in late morning trading.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing a bill in Congress Thursday that aims to shorten the traditional American workweek without impacting how much money workers make.

The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act aims to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers to pay overtime to employees who log more than 32 hours of work in a week. Sanders says the legislation is an important step toward giving Americans a better quality of life while keeping productivity consistent due to things like new technology, automation and artificial intelligence.

"Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea," Sanders said in a statement. "Today, American workers are over 400 percent more productive than they were in the 1940s. And yet, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago. That has got to change."

SEE MORE: More businesses, even schools, moving to 4-day workweeks

Sanders, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, will introduce the legislation Thursday at a hearing that will include testimony from United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and others on the issue. The bill already has support from Sen. Laphonza Butler and Rep. Mark Takano — both of California.  

"While CEOs’ wages continue to increase, our workers are finding themselves doing more, yet earning less than they have in decades," said Sen. Butler. "The Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act would allow hardworking Americans to spend more time with their families while protecting their wages and making sure profits aren’t only going to a select few."

This isn't the first time lawmakers have pushed for a four-day workweek to be the national standard. California Congressman Mark Takano, a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced a similar piece of legislation last year calling for a 32-hour workweek. However, the bill was never brought to the House floor for a vote. 

SEE MORE: Do 4-day workweeks work? Companies share their impact 1 year later

Last year, Researchers in the U.K. published a four-day workweek study involving nearly 3,000 workers from 61 companies. The results showed 39% of employees were less stressed, 62% said it was easier to balance work with their social lives, and 55% reported an increase in their productivity at work.    

Meanwhile, company revenue remained broadly the same over the trial period, rising by 1.4% on average. And of the 61 companies that participated, 56 said they are continuing with the four-day workweek, with 18 making it a permanent policy change.  

Airlines awaiting new fleet deliveries from Boeing say they're being forced to curb expansion plans, potentially affecting everything from hiring to ticket prices. 

The FAA placed a cap on Boeing's bestselling 737 Max jets in January to slow production after a door plug flew off the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. 

This week, Boeing said it shipped only 27 planes in February, including only 17 Max jets. Before the Jan. 5 door plug incident, Boeing had been shipping 38 Max planes per month, and hoped to expand production this year. 

This slowdown has had ripple effects across the industry. 

"Airlines order aircraft generally 18 months or more in advance," said Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group. 

"They're frustrated because they won't be able to offer us all the flights we want and they're frustrated because they won't be able to make all the money they want," he said. 

SEE MORE: Mexico-bound plane lands in LA in 4th emergency this week for United

Because of the delivery delays, Southwest Airlines says it plans to hire fewer pilots and flight attendants, while United Airlines says it will cut back on hiring pilots this summer. 

Kit Darby, former pilot and aviation consultant, believes the snarls could be overblown. He says because the economy is doing well, airlines are profitable and want to expand on their success by adding more routes and equipment, but there  is a caveat. 

"Often they overdo that and we end up with too much supply, and airlines lose money and are in trouble ... pulling in the reins on equipment, personnel, those aren't necessarily bad things," he said. 

Boeing's rival Airbus is also having issues — a problem with engines has slowed down its production as well. With the two biggest airplane makers in the world facing production hurdles, airlines can't expand at the pace they would like to. 

Harteveldt says that could throw a wrench in summer travel plans for the flying public. 

"It may mean fewer flights and fewer seats available ... that leads to fewer, generally fewer fares sold at the cheapest price points," he said. 

Relief may be a few years away. Delta's CEO told Bloomberg that it expects deliveries of Boeing's new 737 Max 10 plane may be delayed for three years. That plane has not yet been certified by the FAA. 

Both Harteveldt and Darby say Boeing's planes are incredibly safe, adding that airlines can rely on maintaining older airplanes until new fleets arrive. 

While all of Boeing's planes in service are cleared to fly, the FAA has ordered Boeing to submit a plan addressing its production issues by late May. 

Scripps News has retracted a story headlined “Tyson Foods wants to hire 52,000 asylum seekers for factory jobs” because it contains serious factual inaccuracies.

The original, retracted story claimed that the food processing company “wants to hire 52,000 asylum seekers for factory jobs,” but we are unable to verify that number. In a statement, Tyson Foods says its employees are all “required to be legally authorized to work in this country.”

The company is working with the non-profit group Tent Partnership for Refugees, which seeks to help refugees and migrants integrate into the economy. In 2022, Tyson committed to hiring 2,500 refugees over three years through its partnership with Tent.

Dollar Tree, which is also the parent company of Family Dollar, said it plans to close 1,000 locations shortly. 

Among the closures, Dollar Tree said it plans to close 600 underperforming Family Dollar locations between now and June. An additional 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores will close at the end of each store's current lease term. 

Dollar Tree owns 16,000 stores, including 8,000 Dollar Tree branded locations and 7,500 Family Dollar locations

The announcement comes as Dollar Tree said its expenses at the end of 2023 were higher than expected. 

SEE MORE: Inflation rate ticks up as Fed decides on interest rates

Going over its 2023 results with investors, Dollar Tree said its Family Dollar brand struggled. Its same-store net sales at Family Dollar were down 1.2% compared to the same quarter in 2022. Meanwhile, same-store net sales at Dollar Tree locations increased 6.3%.

"We took a thoughtful and deliberate approach to address underperforming stores by considering each individual store's performance, local operating environment, and our broader need for scale in operating efficiencies across the portfolio," said Bob LaFleur, Dollar Tree senior vice president of investor relations. "We believe rationalizing these unprofitable locations will help to unlock meaningful value at the enterprise level."

Dollar Tree to stock stores with more expensive items

Dollar Tree said most products will be sold at a $1.50 price point, but the company expects to sell more items at higher prices. LaFleur said stores will carry products that will cost as much as $7. 

"This expanded assortment will offer Dollar Tree shoppers a wider range of choices across various categories, including food and snacks, beverages, pet care, personal care, and more," LaFleur said. "But even as our multi-price assortment expands over time, the vast majority of the items sold in Dollar Tree stores will remain at our entry-level ($1.50) fixed price point. Over time, you will also see us fully integrate multi-price merchandise more into our stores."

LaFleur provided examples of the type items customers will see in Dollar Tree stores. 

"Our shoppers will find $5 bags of dog food next to our traditional $1.25 pet treats and toys," he said. "And our $3 bags of candy will be found in the candy aisle. This is the next exciting chapter of the Dollar Tree value story. New items, more choices and more savings."

Dollar Tree said it introduced the variable pricing at 5,000 locations in 2023 with plans to add the pricing strategy at 2,000 additional locations this year.

Dollar Tree said in future years, products could cost as much as $10, but the company is unsure when that could happen, as the combination of higher shrink — the industry term for losses incurred by theft and missing items — and inflation could keep that from happening in the near future. 

More than 15,000 Roku accounts were compromised in a data breach that, in some cases, gave "unauthorized actors" access to customers' stored financial information.

The company disclosed the attack in filings with the Maine and California attorney generals' offices Friday, noting it discovered and investigated the breach from Jan. 1 to Feb. 21. However, the breach began on Dec. 28, 2023.

In a notice to impacted customers, Roku said hackers had seemingly obtained thousands of logins from third-party sources where the same username and password combinations were used. That means it wasn't a hack on the Roku system itself but was likely the result of hackers finding credentials exposed in other company data breaches and checking for the same login uses on Roku.

After gaining access, the company said the hackers changed the affected customers' login information and attempted to purchase streaming subscriptions with the stored credentials in certain cases.

Bleeping Computer, which first reported the breach, said the financial information wasn't just taken to purchase a Netflix account, though. The publication says it found hackers were selling some stolen information for as little as $0.50 per account on a hacking marketplace, giving buyers access to the stored financial data on each profile. 

SEE MORE: UnitedHealth sets dates to restore hacked systems as fallout continues

Luckily, the "unauthorized actors" did not gain any full payment account numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth or other similar sensitive personal information, Roku said. 

And the company told affected customers that it has now secured their accounts from further unauthorized access by requiring each account holder to reset their password. It also said it investigated account activity to make sure the hackers didn't incur any subscription charges, and if they did, Roku said it canceled and refunded them.

The 15,363 impacted accounts are a small number compared to Roku's 80 million active user accounts last year, but if you're concerned your account was affected, the company recommends you reset your password at my.roku.com. It also recommends you review the subscriptions and devices linked to your account and always monitor your account activity for fraud.

The New York Times has filed several Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown requests against developers who have made clones of its Wordle puzzle.

According to a report by tech journalism site 404, the New York Times says it is doing so to "defend its intellectual property rights,” claiming ownership of the game's features like the 5x6 grid and green tiles for correct guesses.

"The Times has no issue with individuals creating similar word games that do not infringe The Times’s 'Wordle' trademarks or copyrighted gameplay. The Times took action against a GitHub user and others who shared his code to defend its intellectual property rights in Wordle. The user created a 'Wordle clone' project that instructed others how to create a knock-off version of The Times’s Wordle game featuring many of the same copyrighted elements. As a result, hundreds of websites began popping up with knock-off 'Wordle' games that used The Times’s 'Wordle' trademark and copyrighted gameplay without authorization or permission," the New York Times told 404.

Wordle is a popular web-based word game played by millions daily that challenges players to guess a secret five-letter word within six attempts. Created in 2021 by Welsh engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his wife, it was later sold to The New York Times for $1 million. 

Now, it's accessible through a subscription to the newspaper or can be purchased separately for $50 annually.

One of the developers who received a DMCA, Chase Wackerfuss, had created a Wordle-like game called "Reactle," and its code was used over 1,900 times to create spinoffs of the game in multiple languages. Wackerfuss tells 404 that he decided to take the game down when he received the notice because he didn't want to get into a legal battle with the New York Times.

Social media company Reddit told regulators it hopes to raise some $750 million when it makes its upcoming initial public offering.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Reddit told regulators it will offer 22 million shares of Class A common stock. It expects the price of the stock to range from $31 to $34 per share.

Reddit said it would use the funds it raised for general and tax purposes and possibly to fund acquisitions.

Reddit saw an average of more than 76 million people visiting the site every day last December, the company said. It said it has more than 100 million unique "subreddit" communities, where users post content and discussions about shared interests.

The company made a profit of more than $18 million in the October-December quarter, driven mostly by advertising.

SEE MORE: Tech companies sign pact to fight against AI election disruption

Reddit also announced it would share data from its user base with Google, which planned to use it for AI training and making improvements to its search results. That deal was worth $60 million, and Reddit expects to use the same agreement to improve its own internal search performance.

"This enhanced collaboration provides Google with an efficient and structured way to access the vast corpus of existing content on Reddit and enables Google to use the Reddit Data API to improve its products and services," Reddit said in a blog post announcing the deal.

Reddit is expected to be listed under the symbol RDDT on the New York Stock Exchange.

Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras at all properties in its listings worldwide. 

The decision comes after several guests  found hidden cameras in the properties they rented and lodged complaints. 

The San Francisco-based rental app says its new policy will take effect on April 30 for all interior cameras “regardless of their location, purpose or prior disclosure.”

Under the old policy, cameras were allowed in common areas like hallways and living rooms.

“Our goal was to create new, clear rules that provide our community with greater clarity about what to expect on Airbnb. These changes were made in consultation with our guests, Hosts and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to help ensure our policies work for our global community,”Airbnb’s Head of Community Policy and Partnerships, Juniper Downs, said in a press release.

The company says that noise monitors, outdoor and doorbell cameras are still okay in Airbnbs, but the hosts must disclose where they are before renting their homes and can not use them indoors or in private areas. Meanwhile, noise monitors are allowed in shared spaces but can't record or transmit sound. 

Although Airbnb says that only a small number of listings will be affected since most haven't reported having these cameras, they warn that hosts who break the new rules will face investigation and potential removal of their listing or account.

SEE MORE: Airbnb, Vrbo scam duo made $8.5M in double bookings, court alleges

The Body Shop has shut down operations in the U.S. and is now closing dozens of stores in Canada.

This comes as the beauty brand files for bankruptcy.

The Body Shop shared the news in a press release, saying it terminated its U.S. subsidiary and that its business in Canada will be subject to a restructuring.

Online sales in Canada via the company’s e-commerce site will stop. The company also named 33 of its stores that will "close in the near-term." Liquidation sales are beginning immediately at those locations.

The Body Shop was founded in the U.K. in 1976 with a promise of delivering natural, sustainable and ethically produced products. By 2023, the company had expanded to 2,500 retail locations, both owned and franchised, and was operating in over 80 countries.

The Body Shop was sold to asset management company Aurelius for $266 million last year, according to CNN. 

Independent pharmacies may soon be a thing of the past.

"2024, everyone knew was gonna be bad," explained Blake Gillman, George's Pharmacy and Medical Equipment owner and CEO in Indianapolis, Indiana. "It's been worse than anticipated."

Gillman shared some of the issues the independent pharmacy industry is facing with Scripps News Indianapolis. He says over 300 independent stores closed in 2023 and he expects that number to grow in 2024.

SEE MORE: UnitedHealth sets dates to restore hacked systems as fallout continues

"2024 is looking to be a bloodbath," said Gillman. "I know a dude in Ohio who just closed four stores."

Gillman says until there's some actual change happening, the closing of stores is going to be a common occurrence. He explained that the issue is a result of pharmacies not being fully reimbursed for insurance-covered prescriptions.

"What happens is this: We get a prescription if a patient comes in," explained Gillman. "We pay $100 for that inhaler. We run that prescription to a switch and it kicks back that the insurance company and the patient's copay is a certain amount. If we submit $100, it could kick back that we got paid $80 and the patient pays a $10 copay. So, we lost $10 on that prescription."

Gillman says the loss is coming out of the pharmacy's pocket, and it is happening on 30%-40% of the filled prescriptions.

George's Pharmacy and Medical Supplies shares the challenges independent pharmacies face in 2024.

"You cannot stay in business and remain profitable if all you do is fill prescription medications, and that's because if you run it through insurance you're getting negatively reimbursed," he said.

Gillman said that George's Pharmacy is in good shape due to the diversification strategy they implemented when they started selling medical equipment. That said, he suggested that won't be the case for other independent shops.

"We all know change doesn't happen overnight. And I'm afraid any change that happens may be too late," Gillman said.

This story was originally published by Griffin Gonzalez at Scripps News Indianapolis. 

General Motors said Friday that it is resuming sales of its electric Chevrolet Blazer after software issues forced the automaker to halt sales in December.

The problems, which centered around functionality of its touch-screen interface and fast-charging capabilities, were resolved with a software update, the company said.

GM is also lowering the prices of several Blazer EV models by about $6,000, which with the government's $7,500 tax credit, gets the final cost of each Blazer model under $50,000. The company will announce the exact price for its standard trim Blazer LT FWD at a later date, but said it would start at under $50,000.

"We are excited to have the Chevrolet Blazer EV available again, this time with a compelling price, enhanced features and functionality and qualifying for the full consumer tax credit," said Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell.

General Motors said it is using what it learned from the Blazer issues and applying new production standards to all of its EV fleet. The company issued a stop-sale on midsize trucks in February before any 2024 models reached dealers as a result of the new standards. The company said that stop sale lasted just two weeks as a result of the new proactive guidelines.

SEE MORE: German Tesla plant to be without power for days after suspected arson

GM has lowered some of its expectations with regard to EV production as sales have stagnated, partly due to consumer concerns over charging for longer trips.

During its earnings call in January, the company said it was bringing back some plug-in gas-electric hybrid models in the U.S.

Growth in hybrid sales outpaced electric vehicle growth in the U.S. last year as environmentally conscious consumers bought them because of concerns over electric vehicle range and too few charging stations.

GM told investors on its earnings conference call in January that it plans to sell 200,000 to 300,000 EVs this year in North America, but CEO Mary Barra said it would adjust if needed.

"It's true that the pace of EV growth has slowed, which has created some uncertainty," Barra said. "We will build to demand."

Southwest Airlines is responding to backlash after announcing an interior redesign.

The airline unveiled plans last month to update aircraft cabins with upgrades that include new seats featuring multi-adjustable headrest cushions, larger overhead bins and power ports.

But social media users took issue with part of the plan, claiming the new seating lacked space and comfort.

Southwest released a rendering of the design plans in a TikTok video, which garnered nearly 20,000 comments. Users flooded the post with criticism, saying the seats appeared thinner and looked like they lacked leg room.

“Ozempic even got our seats,” said one TikToker.

“Thanks, just reinforced why I never fly Southwest. Might as well use solid plastic seats!” said another TikToker. Another equated the seating to “relaxing on slates of granite.”

Some users on social media accused the airline of making the seating thinner and tighter so the airline could squeeze in more rows of chairs.

Katy Nastro, a travel expert and airline editor for Going.com, told "Good Morning America" that on first impression, "I sort of felt like they were a trim, more slimmed-down version of what we currently know when we fly Southwest."

Southwest responded to the backlash.

A spokesperson for the airline said in a statement obtained by ABC News that the “original images were 2D renderings to show the cosmetic look of the seats and were not scalable for illustrating seat comfort.” The company also provided 3D photos that showed a bit more padding.

"But rest assured, we have our customers' back — even when they give us flak," the representative said. 

The new RECARO aircraft seats are set to debut early next year. 

A Tesla plant has had to halt production and is expected to be without power for days after a suspected arson attack.

Germany's Bild newspaper reported that the site, located just outside of Berlin in Gruenheide, employs around 12,500 workers who won't be able to work until next week, after production had to be suspended. 

German media reported that authorities believe activists could be behind the damage after an electricity pylon apparently had scorch marks indicative of arson. Power was also cut to thousands of households in the area and in several districts in Berlin, according to a report from Deutsche Welle. 

On Tuesday Musk said on X, "These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals. Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm."

Germany media have been watching a group of around 50 to 70 activists who have reportedly occupied a wooded area near the plant for days. Groups have expressed concern that the Tesla plant is planning an expansion in the area. 

Martin Wansleben, managing director of the one of the country's Chambers of Industry and Commerce, said on Wednesday, "Infrastructure is the lifeline of the German economy," calling for more protections of critical infrastructure. 

"Unfortunately, the protection of this infrastructure urgently needs to be adapted to the changed security situation. It is essential that investors continue to see Germany as a safe country," Wansleben said. 

SEE MORE: Jeff Bezos surpasses Elon Musk as world's richest person