Business category, Page 19
What is the Fed? An explainer of the Federal Reserve and how it works
Tensions escalated Tuesday between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve. After President Donald Trump announced on social media that he was firing an official on the Fed’s chief governing body — something that hasn’t happened in U.S. history — the official, Fed Governor Lisa Cook, said she had no...
Millvale Hardee’s — chain’s only location in Pittsburgh region — closes
The only Hardee’s restaurant in the Pittsburgh region, and a cornerstone of the Millvale community, has closed. While a banner on the eatery at the convergence of North and Evergreen avenues thanks its customers for 50 years of business, the message under the red pylon sign simply said, “Closed.” Eric...
U.S. tariff exemption for small orders ends Friday. It’s a big deal to some shoppers and businesses
NEW YORK — Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the United States this week as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods and resetting global trade with tariffs. An executive order signed last month eliminates a widely used customs exemption...
Fox channels may be dropped from YouTube TV in fee dispute
LOS ANGELES — About 10 million YouTube TV subscribers could lose access to Fox News and Fox Corp. channels that broadcast sports in a fee dispute that comes just days before the start of college football. The Google-owned television service notified customers that Fox-owned channels, including Fox Business and local...
August consumer confidence dips in U.S. with jobs, tariffs and high prices driving most unease
WASHINGTON — Americans’ view of the U.S. economy declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked down by 1.3 points to 97.4 in August, down from July’s 98.7, but in...
Trump vows retaliation against countries with digital rules targeting U.S. tech
BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump vowed to impose new tariffs and export curbs on countries with digital taxes or regulations that affect American technology companies. Trump didn’t mention specific places but his comments were taken as a threat against the European Union’s digital rules to rein in companies like Google,...
What shoppers can do to limit charges once the U.S. ends a tariff exemption for goods under $800
NEW YORK — U.S. consumers have gotten used to shopping the world without paying customs duties on the international packages they receive from big e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu, specialty shops and businesses that sell goods through online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and eBay. That era is about to...
World shares sink after Trump escalates feud with the Federal Reserve
TOKYO — Shares sank Tuesday in Europe and Asia after President Donald Trump announced he was firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The announcement came after trading closed Monday on Wall Street, where benchmarks reversed some of their big gains notched last week on hopes for interest rate cuts from...
What’s in a brand? Cracker Barrel stock tanks 10% after booting Uncle Herschel from logo
Since Cracker Barrel cleaned up its logo a week ago, it has been dressed down by those averse to the change. The restaurant and gift shop, a staple of roadside rest stops throughout the homeland, prides itself on a homey atmosphere that’s emblematic of an episode of “The Waltons.” Locally,...
Elon Musk accuses Apple and OpenAI of stifling AI competition in antitrust lawsuit
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence. The 61-page complaint filed in Texas federal court follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when...
Australia partly pauses U.S. parcel deliveries after Trump changes
Australia’s postal service has announced it will immediately partially suspend deliveries to the U.S. and its territories, after the Trump administration ended duty-free treatment for packages. The decision was in response to “significant changes” by the U.S. government and was in line with measures taken by other postal operators around...
Southwest Airlines’ new policy will affect plus-size travelers. Here’s how
Southwest Airlines will soon require travelers who don’t fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra one in advance, part of a string of recent changes the carrier is making. The new rule goes into effect Jan. 27, the same day Southwest starts assigning seats. Currently,...
Trump says he’s firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, opening new front in fight for central bank control
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday night that he’s firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, an unprecedented move that would constitute a sharp escalation in his battle to exert greater control over what has long been considered an institution independent from day-to-day politics. Trump said in a letter posted...
Cracker Barrel says it ‘could’ve done a better job’ with release of new logo that angered some fans
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo but apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week. “If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices,” the company said Monday...
Entrepreneur accused of defrauding PNC Bank ordered to pay $26M
A federal judge Monday ordered a New York businessman to pay back more than $26 million to PNC after the bank caught what it described as large-scale check fraud. The order, crafted by attorneys on both sides and approved by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak, comes less than two...
Keurig Dr Pepper to buy Peet’s Coffee owner in $18 billion deal
NEW YORK — Keurig Dr Pepper said Monday it will buy Peet’s Coffee owner JDE Peet’s in a deal worth about $18 billion. When the acquisition is complete, the company plans to split into two separate companies, one focused on coffee and the other focused on beverages including Dr Pepper,...
Wealth management firm breathes life into prominent Aspinwall building
Fox Chapel financial adviser Mike Dukovich is breathing life into a longtime Aspinwall office building, opening a branch of YTS Wealth Management in the former Bradford building that sits prominently at the town’s entrance. A leading independent wealth management firm, YTS opened at 133 Freeport Road. “The partnership bought the...
UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses vote to unionize
A majority of about 700 nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital have voted to unionize with SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the union announced Sunday. Ballots were counted late Saturday following voting that day and Tuesday. Nurses voted 402 to 305, or 57% to 43%, in favor of unionizing. Nurses, elected officials, patients...
GOP lawmakers push for tariffs tailored to help home-state companies
Congressional Republicans are embracing Donald Trump’s tariff campaign as a way to advance home-state causes, lobbying the president to impose more import duties to protect local companies. The rank-and-file GOP lawmakers’ entreaties, which often present trade actions shoring up favored manufacturers as a winning tactic for midterm elections, bolster the...
Railroad companies fail to join safety program after toxic Ohio derailment
Two and a half years after a derailed train spewed toxic gases across eastern Ohio, none of the nation’s largest freight railroads have fulfilled promises to join a voluntary federal close call program designed to reduce rail hazards and prevent accidents. Two railroads — BNSF and Norfolk Southern — launched...
European postal services suspend shipment of packages to U.S. over import tariffs
ATHENS, Greece — The end of an exemption on tariff duties for low-value packages coming into the United States is causing multiple international postal services to pause shipping as they await more clarity on the rule. The exemption, known as the “de minimis” exemption, allows packages worth less than $800...
Trump trumpets deal giving US a 10% stake in downtrodden Intel
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday announced the U.S. government has secured a 10% stake in struggling Silicon Valley pioneer Intel in a deal that was completed just a couple weeks after he was depicting the company’s CEO as a conflicted leader unfit for the job. “The United States...
Powell signals Fed may cut rates soon even as inflation risks remain
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate...
Here’s the scoop: Flora Park Creamery serves Penn State ice cream
Randy Stetor drives a 16-foot refrigerated truck to Penn State’s main campus in State College every two weeks and returns with 6,000 pounds of ice cream. And not just any ice cream — he brings back three-gallon tubs of flavors from the famous Penn State Berkey Creamery. “The cows are...
Cracker Barrel unveils new logo as part of wider rebrand efforts, sparking ire among some online
NEW YORK — Cracker Barrel is marching forward with an ongoing makeover. And to the dismay of some fans, the chain’s new logo now ditches the barrel itself. Or rather, the drawing many have associated with Cracker Barrel over the years. The man leaning on that barrel is also gone,...
