Wire stories category, Page 109
Netflix subscriber drop hints at streaming-service fatigue
NEW YORK — How much is too much for streaming video? A dramatic slowdown in worldwide growth at Netflix — including the first quarterly drop in its U.S. subscribers since 2011 — is raising questions about just how much people are willing to pay for streaming services. Especially with a...
Impossible Foods wants to make your fish fishless
As impossible as it might sound, vegans might soon have a fish option. The company that brought you the Impossible Whopper and Impossible Supreme pizza is testing the waters for a fishless fish. Impossible Foods has focused much of its work on the biochemistry of fish flavor, the New York...
Pet leasing is real and can catch owners by surprise; New Jersey lawmakers want to ban it
Scott and Patricia Smith were looking for a new furry friend at a Middletown, N.J., pet store when they found Chase, a fluffy white Maltese. It was June 2018, five months after their last dog died, and they quickly fell in love with the pup who curled up in Scott’s...
Plant-based food sales rose 11% in 2018, moved beyond niche status
U.S. sales of plant-based foods grew 11% last year as retailers increasingly put them on shelves next to their animal-based counterpart. The annual numbers show where the plant-based market has matured, such as alternative milks, and where it is just getting started, like plant-based eggs. The sales update, published by...
Credit score up? Build credit smarts, too
Consumers’ grasp of credit is the lowest it’s been in eight years, according to an annual survey by credit scoring company VantageScore and the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit association of consumer groups. For example, 62% of those surveyed this year knew that everyone has more than one credit...
Retail rivals crash Amazon’s Prime Day party
NEW YORK — The gravitational pull of Amazon Prime Day is so strong on shoppers it’s benefiting other retailers as well, according to an early analysis from a key data group. On Monday, the first day of its 48-hour sales event, large retailers, those that generated annual revenue of at...
China’s growth cools further as tariff war pressures mount
BEIJING — China’s economic growth sank to its lowest level in at least 26 years in the quarter ending in June, adding to pressure on Chinese leaders as they fight a tariff war with Washington. The world’s second-largest economy grew 6.2% over a year ago, down from the previous quarter’s...
Trump signs order to make American-made goods more American
WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an executive order Monday that will require federal agencies to purchase products using more American components. The order strengthens the standards that federal agencies must follow under the Buy American Act, which creates a preference for American-made goods. Trump said his order will gradually boost...
Stocks climb to records on hopes for lower interest rates
NEW YORK — The major U.S. stock indexes closed at record highs Friday, with the S&P 500 ending above 3,000 for the first time. The market was driven higher by technology, consumer discretionary and industrial company stocks, which more than offset the drop in drugmakers. Investors continued to remain focused...
Trump accuses big tech of bias against conservative voices
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that big tech companies must not be allowed to censor the voices of the American people on social media, even as he hailed conservative critics for using the platforms to get around the “fake news filter.” Trump has weaponized social media to eviscerate...
2020 Ford Explorer’s tires fix themselves, representing a new trend
The 2020 Ford Explorer will offer tires that patch their own holes. Drivers may not even know they ran over a nail, but here’s what they should know: The tires allow them to keep traveling after a puncture, in some cases continuing for days without a repair. They use different...
AP Sources: Jeffrey Epstein arrested in NY on sex charges
NEW YORK — Wealthy financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday in New York on sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the 2000s, according to law enforcement officials. Epstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain’s Prince...
W.Va. coal billionaire Chris Cline killed in helicopter crash
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Coal tycoon Chris Cline, who worked his way out of West Virginia’s underground mines to amass a fortune and become a major Republican donor, has died in a helicopter crash outside a string of islands he owned in the Bahamas. Cline and his 22-year-old daughter Kameron were...
Pet owners have some tools to fight veterinary sticker shock
That cuddly new puppy can be pretty intimidating if pet owners consider the veterinary bills it might produce. A pet’s torn knee ligaments or a broken leg that needs surgery could cost a few thousand dollars. Even stitches to close a bite wound after a scrap with another dog can...
Blackjewel CEO confident bankrupt coal operator will rebound
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The CEO of one of the nation’s largest coal producers says he’s confident the company will bounce back despite the shutdown of several mines after it filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Milton-based Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for southern...
Trump says U.S. ‘winning’ trade war after reviving China talks
WASHINGTON — President Trump declared the U.S. was “winning” the trade war a day after reaching a temporary truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On a visit to South Korea following the Group of 20 summit in Japan, Trump said at a news conference the Federal Reserve “has not been...
Trump, Xi hit reset button on trade negotiations
WASHINGTON — Once again, Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping have hit the reset button in trade talks between the world’s two biggest economies, at least delaying an escalation in tension between the U.S. and China that had financial markets on edge and cast a cloud over the global economy. But...
Changes to lobster fishery to help whales might arrive 2021
FREEPORT, Maine — Changes to the Maine lobster fishery designed to help a critically endangered species of whale might arrive in 2021 after a lengthy rulemaking process. A team assembled by the federal government has called for the removal of half the vertical trap lines from the Gulf of Maine...
Trade tensions, India tariffs put California almonds at risk
MODESTO, Calif. — Along large swaths of California’s lush central valley, almonds in the fuzzy hulls of tree leaves blow in the wind on thousands of acres of orchards. Thousands of miles away in India, customers browse the nut sections of busy street markets and grocery stores in search of...
Future is in doubt for cheaper versions of biologic drugs
TRENTON, N.J. — They were the drugs that were supposed to save the U.S. tens of billions of dollars. Called “biosimilars,” they are near-copies of complex and expensive biologic drugs to treat cancer, rare diseases and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and colitis. But U.S. sales have been so limited...
How did 7-Eleven get its name? It was all timing
What’s in a name? 7-Eleven, with more than 68,000 locations across 17 countries, including nearly 10,000 in the United States, is among the world’s most widely recognized convenience store chains. The story behind its seemingly unique name is … well … not very unique at all. Originally named Tote’m Stores,...
Alabama car dealership offers gun, Bible and American flag with every sale
A car that comes fully loaded now has an entirely new meaning. In an appeal to patriotism, a car dealership in Chatom, Ala., is offering a Bible, an American flag and a 12-gauge shotgun with any new or used vehicle as part of its Fourth of July sales promotion through...
Gas prices could rise after fire-stricken refinery closes in Philly
The largest oil refinery on the East Coast said Wednesday that it will close after a devastating fire last week that set off explosions and damaged equipment, and analysts said consumers could see gas prices rise as summer travel hits full swing. Philadelphia Energy Solutions sent a notice to state...
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri says company is exploring ‘new experience’ on platformVideo
Instagram is currently rethinking use of its app, leading to what chief Adam Mosseri claims the company is “rethinking the whole experience” for the user. Mosseri told Gayle King on “CBS This Morning” that the social media platform may plan to make the “like” function private. The rationale behind the...
Apple buys more self-driving car technology in latest deal
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple has bought a struggling self-driving car startup as the iPhone maker continues to explore the potential market for robotic vehicles, despite recently curtailing its work on the technology. The Cupertino, California, company confirmed its acquisition of Drive.ai Wednesday without disclosing the price. A recent filing with...
