Today’s News
Judge allows White House to reconsider wind farm approval
A federal court judge is allowing the Trump administration to reconsider a federal permit that was granted to a Massachusetts offshore wind farm days before the president’s inauguration. Developer SouthCoast Wind last week said it’s assessing the decision and possible next steps, including the pursuit of legal remedies. SouthCoast Wind is a project planned for federal waters about 23 miles south of Nantucket, with as many as 141 turbines to power about 840,000 homes in [...]
Starbucks’ union workers plan strike
Starbucks’ union members have voted to strike at the company’s United States stores this week unless it finalizes a contract agreement, the union said. The strike would begin on Thursday, which is the day Starbucks plans to distribute free, reusable red cups. Red Cup Day, a Starbucks tradition since 2018, typically is one of the company’s busiest days of the year. Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, didn’t say how many stores would be [...]
Trump has other tariff options if the Supreme Court strikes down import taxes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will be rendered “defenseless’’ and possibly “reduced to almost Third World status” if the Supreme Court strikes down the tariffs he imposed this year on many countries. The justices sounded skeptical during oral arguments last week of his sweeping claims of authority to impose tariffs as he sees fit. Trump, however, would still have plenty of options to keep taxing imports even if [...]
MPA tells Meta to stop using PG-13 reference
The Motion Picture Association is asking Meta to stop referring to content shown to teen accounts on Instagram as “guided by PG-13 ratings,” saying it is misleading and could erode trust in its movie ratings system. A lawyer on behalf of the MPA sent Meta Platforms a cease-and-desist letter asking the tech giant to “immediately and permanently disassociate its Teen Accounts and AI tools from the MPA’s rating system.” Instagram had announced last month that [...]
IRS Direct File won’t be available in ’26
WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS Direct File, the electronic system for filing tax returns for free, will not be offered next year, the Trump administration has confirmed. An email sent last week from IRS official Cynthia Noe to state comptrollers that participate in the Direct File program said that “IRS Direct File will not be available in Filing Season 2026. No launch date has been set for the future.” The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency [...]
FDA letter warns sites that sell unapproved Botox versions
Federal health regulators last week sent warning letters to 18 websites selling counterfeit or unapproved versions of Botox and similar injectable drugs used to smooth wrinkles. The Food and Drug Administration said it was taking action after receiving reports of injuries in connection with the products, including toxic side effects. Botox is a diluted, purified form of botulinum, one of the most toxic substances in the world. The ingredient works by temporarily blocking nerve signals [...]
FAA reducing air traffic across 40 markets
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration last week said it was taking the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10 percent across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown. The cutback stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency didn’t immediately [...]
Man sentenced to 5-plus years in Chase case
NEW YORK (AP) — A top executive at a startup company that eased the process for college students applying for financial aid was sentenced last week to more than five years in prison for cheating JPMorgan Chase in a $175 million acquisition of the company four years ago. The Manhattan federal court sentencing of Olivier Amar came a month after Charlie Javice, the founder of the startup known as Frank, was sentenced to seven years [...]
States sue to stop restrictions on FEMA grants
Eleven states and Kentucky’s governor are suing the Trump administration over what they call “unlawful terms” placed on federal funding critical to supporting local disaster and terrorism preparedness. The predominantly Democratic-led states, which include Michigan, Oregon and Arizona, along with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sued the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency last week in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Ore. The states oppose a reduction to the amount of time they [...]
DoorDash orders rise in 3Q; revenue up 27 percent
DoorDash reported higher-than-expected orders and revenue in the third quarter, but warned investors that it will be spending significantly more on product development next year. DoorDash last week said its total orders rose 21 percent to 776 million in the July-September period. That beat Wall Street’s forecast of 770 million, according to analysts polled by data firm FactSet. DoorDash’s revenue jumped 27 percent to $3.45 billion. That also beat analysts’ forecasts of $3.35 billion. The [...]
Legal News
Italian police seize $1.5B from Campari shareholder
MILAN (AP) — Italian tax police said they are seizing assets worth $1.5 billion from a Luxembourg-based holding company’s shares in spirits maker Campari Group [...]
Texas AG files lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused the companies behind Tylenol of deceptively marketing the pain reliever to pregnant mothers in a lawsuit that asserted [...]
Chase wants out of paying fraudsters’ legal tab of $115M
NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly three years, JPMorgan Chase has picking up the legal tab of Charlie Javice and Olivier Amar, the two convicted [...]
Business News
As Buffett prepares to relinquish CEO spot, Berkshire Hathaway’s profits increase 17%
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The profits of Warren Buffett ‘s company improved 17 percent thanks to a relatively mild hurricane season and more paper investment [...]
Microsoft enters $9.7 billion contract with IREN that provides it access to Nvidia computer chips
Microsoft has entered into a $9.7 billion cloud services contract with artificial-intelligence cloud service provider IREN that will give it access to some of Nvidia’s [...]
OpenAI, Amazon sign $38B deal for AI computing
SEATTLE (AP) — OpenAI and Amazon have signed a $38 billion deal that enables the ChatGPT maker to run its artificial intelligence systems on Amazon’s [...]
Real Estate
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 [...]
Franklin County affordable housing projects receive OHFA financing approval
Two local affordable housing projects have been approved for financing through various programs, according to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. The agency’s board last week [...]
Politics
U.S., China to set up direct military communications
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington and Beijing would establish military-to-military communications channels, adding that bilateral ties between the [...]
Ohio panel unveils proposed House map
Ohio’s Republican-led redistricting commission unveiled a proposed U.S. House map last week that could give Republicans a chance at winning two more seats in next [...]
Rare-earth deal expected to boost U.S. industry
China’s promise to delay its newest restrictions on the export of the rare earths that are crucial to many high-tech products for one year as [...]