Today’s News
Ford Motor Co. unveils its 2.1 million square-foot HQ
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co.’s new headquarters, the carmaker’s first central office switch since Dwight Eisenhower was president, is double the size of its old one with room for twice as many employees. The new HQ, for which a grand opening event was held last weekend, has seven restaurants as part of a 160,000-square-foot food hall, office space, design studios and fabrication shops. There are plenty of cars, too. The “crown jewel” of [...]
Growing number of cities and states are using AI to improve road safety
As the nation’s aging roads fall further behind on much-needed repairs, cities and states are turning to artificial intelligence to spot the worst hazards and decide which fixes should come first. Hawaii officials, for example, are giving away 1,000 dashboard cameras as they try to reverse a recent spike in traffic fatalities. The cameras will use AI to automate inspections of guardrails, road signs and pavement markings, instantly discerning between minor problems and emergencies that [...]
States want proof new data centers will be built before underwriting costs to supply their power
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Many utilities say they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing artificial-intelligence economy. The challenges — some say the impossibility — of building new power plants to meet that demand so quickly has set off alarm bells for lawmakers, policymakers and regulators who wonder if those utility forecasts can be trusted. One burning question is whether [...]
Enrollment of foreign students at American colleges remains mostly unchanged
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of foreign students enrolled at American colleges has only declined 1 percent this school year, according to a new report compared with last year, according to a survey from the Institute of International Education. That figure, however, is propped up by large numbers of students who stayed in the United States for temporary work after graduating. The number of new students entering the United States for the first time fell [...]
Trump scraps tariffs on beef, coffee, fruit
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump last week announced that he was scrapping American tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities, a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices. Trump’s retreat from his signature tariff policy on many staples key to the American diet is significant, and it comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as [...]
Judge set to OK Purdue Pharma settlement deal
A judge last week said that he planned to approve a deal for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own the company to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids, allowing money to start flowing to victims as soon as next spring. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane said he would spell out his reasoning in a hearing this week. Members of the Sackler family have been cast [...]
Court-appointed lawyers, clients face fallout from shutdown
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The longest federal government shutdown in history is officially over, but the fallout will continue to hit two groups particularly hard for months to come: federally funded defense lawyers and the people they represent. Thousands of court-appointed lawyers, known as Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys, along with paralegals, investigators, expert witnesses and interpreters, haven’t been paid since June after federal funding for the Defender Services program fell $130 million short of [...]
Novo cuts prices for Wegovy
Novo Nordisk is chopping prices again for Wegovy, but doctors say the expense will remain challenging for patients without insurance. The drugmaker said it has started selling higher doses of the injectable obesity treatment for $349 a month to patients paying the full bill. That’s down from $499, and in line with terms of a drug pricing agreement outlined earlier this month by President Donald Trump’s administration. Novo also started a temporary offer of $199 [...]
Walmart CEO to retire in January
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who turned the nation’s largest retailer into a tech-powered giant since taking over in 2014, will retire in January. John Furner, 51, a longtime insider and head of Walmart’s United States operations, will take over, the company said. Analyst were surprised by the retirement announcement from McMillon, who is 59 years old. McMillon’s retirement is effective Jan. 31, 2026. Furner will start as CEO the next day. [...]
Airlines optimistic about a quick recovery, but unsure of impact on Thanksgiving travel period
Airlines say they are optimistic they can resume normal operations just a few days after the federal government lifts its order to cut some flights at 40 busy airports. Currently, it’s not clear how soon that will happen even though the federal government shutdown is done. The Federal Aviation Administration did announce last week that airlines won’t have to cut more than 6 percent of flights at those airports because air traffic controller staffing had [...]
Legal News
EU investigates Google over media content
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union regulators last week said they’re investigating whether Google is unfairly demoting some content from media publishers in search results under [...]
Suits challenge land exchange in Alaska wildlife refuge
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Native tribes and conservation groups sued the federal government last week, seeking in at least three separate lawsuits to overturn [...]
California revokes 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses
California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to immigrants after discovering the expiration dates went past when the drivers were legally allowed to [...]
Business News
Anthropic and Microsoft announce plans for new AI-related data centers
Artificial-intelligence company Anthropic last week announced a $50 billion investment in computing infrastructure that will include new data centers in Texas and New York. Microsoft [...]
Waymo is expanding its robotaxi service to some freeways and interstates
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Waymo is hitting the highway. The company said its robotaxis — already a common sight on some city streets — are [...]
ByHeart recalls all baby formula sold nationwide
ByHeart, a manufacturer of organic baby formula, has recalled all of its products sold nationwide, days after some batches were recalled in an expanding outbreak [...]
Real Estate
White House’s 50-year mortgage plan comes with a number of possible drawbacks
NEW YORK (AP) — The White House says it is considering backing a 50-year mortgage to help alleviate the home affordability crisis in the country. [...]
Army Corps OKs reroute of pipeline
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved energy company Enbridge’s plans to reroute an aging oil pipeline around a northern [...]
JPMorgan Chase unveils 60-story HQ
NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase unveiled its new 60-story headquarters to the public this week, one of the first major office buildings to be [...]
Politics
Advocates say federal government shutdown could have lasting effects on National Guard
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military advocates are warning of long-lasting effects to National Guard troops and their readiness in the wake of the recent federal government [...]
U.S. Mint in Philly presses final penny
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia struck its last circulating penny this week after the president canceled the one-cent coin as the cost [...]
Some states now requiring public schools to teach students about firearm safety
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — This school year, students in elementary, middle and high schools in some states will get a new lesson on safety: what [...]