Business category, Page 3
Mark Zuckerberg testifies at trial accusing social media firms of addicting kids to their platforms
LOS ANGELES — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being “authentic” and not “robotic.” Zuckerberg’s testimony is part of an unprecedented social...
Warren Buffett’s company invests in the New York Times 6 years after he sold all his newspapers
OMAHA, Neb. — Five years after Warren Buffett sold off all of Berkshire Hathaway’s newspapers and predicted unending declines for most of the industry, Berkshire disclosed a new $350 million investment in the New York Times on Tuesday. The somewhat surprising move highlighted the quarterly update Berkshire filed with the...
John Dorfman: These hyper-pricey stocks face terrible odds
Chasing hot growth stocks? Beware of those that sell for 100 times revenue. To say these represent the triumph of hope over experience is putting it mildly. For many years, I’ve published a warning list of stocks that sell in that rarified range. Starting in 2000, I’ve compiled 20 lists,...
Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is...
Trump administration backs Kalshi, Polymarket as states move to ban prediction markets
NEW YORK — The Trump administration is throwing its support behind the prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket in a critical legal battle between the growing prediction market industry and states that wish to ban these platforms. The move by Michael Selig, the recently appointed chairman of the Commodity Futures...
Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s name
NEW YORK — The Trump family company has filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home. Applications filed by the Trump Organization with the federal...
Ferrante’s Lakeview on Route 30 to change hands
Christina Augustine is following in her grandfather’s footsteps — and her mother’s and her aunt’s. Next month, Augustine, 42, of Addison will become the general manager of Ferrante’s Lakeview — a restaurant and special events venue that has operated off Route 30 in Hempfield for about 70 years. Her grandfather,...
EU privacy investigation targets Musk’s Grok chatbot over sexualized deepfake images
LONDON — Elon Musk’s social media platform X faces a European Union privacy investigation after its Grok AI chatbot started spitting out nonconsensual deepfake images, Ireland’s data privacy regulator said Tuesday. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said it notified X on Monday that it was opening the inquiry under the 27-nation...
Green Beacon Gallery in downtown Greensburg searches for a new home
Greensburg was not a random choice for Phil and Steve Harrold’s art and music gallery. The initials of the West Pittsburgh Street venue, called Green Beacon Gallery, align with a common abbreviation for the name of the city — which the brothers deemed deserving of an open stage for local...
Whether it’s a mini-sabbatical or an adult gap year, more people are taking extended work breaks
If you daydream about getting a break from work, you might picture two weeks of vacation or a long weekend getaway. But some people dare to imagine something bigger and find ways to get a substantial breather from stress or their day-to-day routines. Mini-sabbaticals. Adult gap years. Micro-retirement. Extended career...
Tax season is here. Here’s what you need to know for stress-free filing
NEW YORK — Tax season is underway and you have until April 15 to file your return with the IRS. If you want to avoid the stress of the looming deadline, start getting organized as soon as possible. “Don’t wait until the last minute but also don’t rush,” said Tom...
Inflation measure falls to nearly 5-year low as gas prices fall and housing costs cool
WASHINGTON (AP) — A key measure of inflation fell to nearly a five-year low last month as apartment rental price growth slowed and gas prices fell, offering some relief to Americans grappling with the sharp cost increases of the past five years. Inflation dropped to 2.4% in January compared with...
Wendy’s closing hundreds of U.S. restaurants to focus on value amid falling sales
Wendy’s is closing several hundred U.S. restaurants and increasing its focus on value after a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter. The Dublin, Ohio-based company said Friday that its global same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 10% in the October-December period. That was worse than the 8.5%...
Aurora’s driverless trucks soon to be a common sight across the Sun Belt
Aurora Innovation plans to have more than 200 driverless tractor-trailers on the road by the end of the year as part of a rapid expansion across the Sun Belt. The anticipated growth would mark a new era of commercialization for the company, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, after...
McDonald’s says focus on value is bringing back customers
McDonald’s focus on value is paying off. The fast food giant said this week that its global same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — jumped 5.7% in the October-December period. That’s better than the 3.9% Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by...
CBO: Federal deficits and debt to worsen over next decadeVideo
WASHINGTON — The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s 10-year outlook projects worsening long-term federal deficits and rising debt, driven largely by increased spending, notably on Social Security, Medicare, and debt service payments. Compared with the CBO’s analysis this time last year, the fiscal outlook has deteriorated modestly. Major developments over the...
U.S. Steel fined $118K for safety lapses in Clairton Coke Works fatal explosion
U.S. Steel is facing 10 violations and $118,000 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration related to last year’s deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works. The Pittsburgh-based company was cited nine times for inadequate safety procedures, employee training and equipment to isolate machines from energy sources. The...
Nemacolin named top hotel in Pennsylvania, 28th in the U.S. in annual report
Nemacolin, the exclusive Fayette County resort known for its luxury accommodations, fine dining and expansive grounds, was named Pennsylvania’s top hotel Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. The Laurel Highlands destination earned the No. 28 spot nationwide — one of only two businesses in Pennsylvania to crack the top...
Applications for jobless benefits fell to 227,000 last week, remaining at recent healthy levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining within the historically healthy range of the past few years. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 7 fell by 5,000 to 227,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s basically...
U.S. adds 130,000 jobs and unemployment falls after tepid 2025Video
U.S. payrolls rose in January by the most in more than a year and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, suggesting the labor market continued to stabilize at the start of 2026. Employers added 130,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Kingfly Spirits in Strip District abruptly closes
Distillery Kingfly Spirits has closed its doors for good after seven years of serving the Strip District. In a social media post on Wednesday, the distillery wrote “as of today, we are moving on to the next chapter of life,” stating that Kingfly would not be conducting future bottle sales,...
Kraft Heinz pauses split as new CEO calls challenges ‘fixable’
Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing a planned split and launching a $600 million investment campaign to tackle what new CEO Steve Cahillane called “fixable” challenges. The company announced in September it will divide its roughly 200 brands into one firm focused on high-performing sauces and spreads and another made...
The economy is booming. So why is the job market lagging?
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy is on a tear. So why is the American job market limping behind? The Labor Department is expected to report Wednesday that companies, government agencies and nonprofits added 75,000 jobs last month, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. That would...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal in bid to revive industry
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will introduce plans to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power plants as he seeks to drive domestic reliance on the fossil fuel. The marquee initiative, set to be announced Wednesday, will come through an executive order, as Trump directs Defense...
John Dorfman: Zoom, Duolingo are balance-sheet powerhouses
Many investors focus myopically on earnings growth. One factor they often neglect is balance-sheet strength. To correct this oversight, I compile an annual list of Balance Sheet Powerhouses. It’s an honor roll, not necessarily a buy list. Some of the powerhouse stocks are priced in the ionosphere. But most years...
