Consumer confidence declines to 12-year low
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer confidence fell for the fourth straight month as Americans’ anxiety about their financial futures declined to a 12-year low amid rising concern over tariffs and inflation. The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index fell 7.2 points in March to 92.9. Analysts were expecting a decline to a reading of [...]
Waymo plans to bring its driverless taxis to D.C. in 2026
Waymo has added Washington, D.C., to its robotaxi service’s expanding list of United States markets, although passengers will have to wait until next year before they can take a driverless ride around the nation’s capital city. For now, Waymo’s robotaxis will continue to map Washington’s streets and corridors with a safety driver sitting behind the [...]
James Hardie offers AZEK $8.75 billion
Australian building products company James Hardie Industries is buying the American outdoor products maker AZEK in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $8.75 billion, including $386 million in debt. The United States housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied homes [...]
Chinese EV maker BYD reports $100B in 2024 revenue
BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD logged a record $107 billion in revenue last year as its sales of battery electric and hybrid vehicles jumped 40 percent. The report coincided with BYD’s launch earlier this week of its Qin L EV sedan, a mid-sized model similar to Tesla’s Model 3 but at about half [...]
23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and its co-founder and CEO has resigned as the struggling genetic testing company continues its push to cut costs. The company said that it will look to sell “substantially all of its assets” through a court-approved reorganization plan. The San Francisco-based company also said Anne Wojcicki had [...]
U.S. Supreme Court considering lawsuit that arose from 2020 census count
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is halfway to the next once-a-decade census, but the Supreme Court is still dealing with lawsuits that grew out of the last census. The justices on Monday were scheduled to take up a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional map, which was drawn so that, for the first time, two of [...]
Ohio a plaintiff in class-action lawsuit over Boeing safety
A Delaware judge has appointed two Ohio pension funds as co-lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit seeking accountability from Boeing’s board of directors for a pattern of safety and compliance failures that have harmed the company and its investors. Vice Chancellor Morgan Zurn of the Delaware Court of Chancery appointed Ohio Public Employees Retirement System [...]
Contract awarded for future Air Force fighter jet
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced that Boeing will build the Air Force’s future fighter jet, which the Pentagon says will have stealth and penetration capabilities that far exceed those of its current fleet and is essential in a potential conflict with China. Known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, the manned [...]