Today’s News
Framework announced on trade agreement with China
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump earlier this week announced that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade framework and that tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55 percent. In return, Trump said, the U.S. will provide China “what was agreed to,” including allowing Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities. The president had recently begun to clamp down on the presence of Chinese nationals [...]
GM to shift production from Mexico to the U.S.
General Motors has announced plans to invest $4 billion to shift some production from Mexico to American manufacturing plants as the automaker navigates new tariffs that could result in higher prices. President Donald Trump signed executive orders in April, relaxing some of his 25 percent tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, a reversal as the import taxes threatened to impact domestic manufacturers. Automakers and independent analysts say the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and [...]
Justice Department says the president has authority to cancel national monuments
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s administration say he has the authority to abolish national monuments meant to protect historical and archaeological sites across broad landscapes, including two in California created by his predecessor at the request of Native American tribes. A Justice Department legal opinion released earlier this week disavowed a 1938 determination that monuments created by previous presidents under the Antiquities Act can’t be revoked. The department said presidents can [...]
Ohio breweries add $1.29B to state’s economy
Ohio’s craft brewing industry delivered $1.29 billion to the state’s economy in 2024, according to the biennial economic impact report from the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. The impact report details the regional and statewide contributions Ohio craft breweries make to the state economy: $1.29 billion economic output, up from $1.27 billion in 2022. $128.6 million in state and local taxes ($141.5 million in 2022). $99.1 million in federal taxes ($85.8 million in 2022). 12,255 jobs [...]
Gabbard says AI is speeding up intel work
WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is speeding up the work of America’s intelligence services, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said. Speaking to a technology conference this week, Gabbard said AI programs, when used responsibly, can save money and free up intelligence officers to focus on gathering and analyzing information. The sometimes slow pace of intelligence work frustrated her as a member of Congress, Gabbard said, and continues to be a challenge. AI can operate [...]
Google offers buyouts to staff in latest cuts
Google has offered buyouts to staff in several divisions in a new round of cost cutting, according to reports from several news outlets. It’s not clear how many employees are affected, but the offers were made to staff in Google’s search, advertising, research and engineering units, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for U.S.-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to [...]
Tax bill could impact foreign companies’ investments
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump likes to say he’s bringing in trillions of dollars in investments from foreign countries, but a provision in his tax cuts bill could cause international companies to avoid expanding into the United States. The House-passed version of the legislation would allow the federal government to impose taxes on foreign-parented companies and investors from countries judged as charging “unfair foreign taxes” on American companies. Known as Section 899, the measure [...]
Tentative start for Tesla robotaxi service is June 22
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Elon Musk says Tesla is “tentatively” set to begin providing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 22. In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.” Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch in Austin sometime [...]
Disney to pay almost $439M to complete Hulu purchase
Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. The move closes out an appraisal process that’s dragged on for a few years. Disney said in November 2023 that it was acquiring a 33 percent stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Disney has run Hulu [...]
Inflation rate only rises 0.1 percent last month
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices increased 2.4 percent in May compared with a year ago, according to a new Labor Department report. That is up from a 2.3 percent yearly increase in April. On a monthly basis, overall prices ticked up just 0.1 percent from April to May, down from 0.2 percent the previous month, a sign inflationary pressures remain muted. Core prices also dropped to 0.1 percent from 0.2 percent. Excluding the volatile food [...]
Legal News
Scammers are using AI to enroll fake students in online classes, then steal college financial aid
It was an unusual question coming from a police officer. Heather Brady was napping at home in San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon when the [...]
Lawsuit seeks to block sale of 23andMe personal data
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of personal genetic [...]
End of ban on forced-reset triggers results in lawsuit
Sixteen states have sued the Trump administration over its plan to allow the sale of forced-reset triggers that make semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly and [...]
Business News
State allocates $23.7M for broadband expansion
Gov. Mike DeWine and BroadbandOhio have announced plans to spend $23.7 million to expand broadband internet access in the state by reimbursing internet service providers [...]
Crypto’s new trend is publicly traded companies buying large amounts of bitcoin
One of crypto’s hottest trends is publicly traded companies buying bitcoin and then buying more. President Donald Trump’s media company recently announced a plan to [...]
Video game performers on strike reach a tentative deal
The union for Hollywood’s video game performers has reached a tentative contract with several video game companies that may bring an end to an almost [...]
Real Estate
Amazon to spend $20B on data centers in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amazon said it will spend $20 billion on two data center complexes in Pennsylvania, including one it is building alongside a [...]
S.C. battery plant pauses construction
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Japanese company has halted construction on a $1.6 billion factory in South Carolina to help make batteries for electric BMWs, [...]
State awards $2 million for clean-up work, demolition of former Eastland Mall site
The state of Ohio has allocated $2 million for cleanup and remediation work at the site of the former Eastland Mall in Columbus. The money [...]
Politics
New drone orders aim to counter security threats, promote use of flying cars
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he wants to counter the threats drones pose to national security under new rules released last week, while [...]
Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime and illegal immigration
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the FBI arrested an accused leader of the MS-13 gang, Kash Patel was there to announce the case, trumpeting it as [...]
Democrats closer to backing crypto regulations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Work in the Republican-led Senate to legitimize cryptocurrency by adding guardrails has drawn backing from some Democrats, underscoring growing support for the [...]