Wire stories category, Page 11
U.S. boosts Medicare payments to insurers by over $25 billion
The U.S. government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans more money next year than it originally proposed in January, a major win for insurance companies that have faced increasing scrutiny in Washington. The shares of insurers surged on the decision. UnitedHealth Group Inc. stock rose as much as 6.2%, CVS...
Dutch cannabis growers welcome expansion of state-run experiment to make sales legal
BEMMEL, Netherlands — The Netherlands expanded a government-run initiative Monday allowing legal cannabis sales. While growing cannabis is still illegal, cannabis shops — known as coffeeshops — in 10 municipalities will be allowed to sell marijuana from 10 licensed producers. “Weed was sold here legally for 50 years, but the...
Budget airline Avelo to fly deportation flights for ICE from Arizona
Budget carrier Avelo Airlines signed an agreement to fly federal deportation flights from Arizona starting in May, according to the company, whose founder acknowledged the decision may be controversial. Andrew Levy, also CEO of the Houston-based airline, said Avelo is flying for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Control...
Asian markets plunge as Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dives nearly 8% after the big meltdown on Wall Street
BANGKOK — Asian shares nosedived on Monday after the meltdown Friday on Wall Street over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes and the backlash from Beijing. U.S. futures also signaled further weakness. The future for the S&P 500 lost 2.5% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 2.1%....
Jaguar, Land Rover maker pauses shipments to U.S. as it develops post-tariff plans
LONDON — The maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars is pausing shipments to the U.S. as Britain’s struggling auto industry begins to respond to the 25% tax on vehicle imports imposed by President Donald Trump. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive, one of Britain’s biggest carmakers, said Saturday that the pause...
Al Sharpton calls on PepsiCo to restore DEI initiatives, threatens boycott
The Rev. Al Sharpton is giving PepsiCo three weeks to meet with him — or suffer a boycott — to discuss reversing the company’s recent move to do away with its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to a letter shared with the Associated Press. On Friday, Sharpton wrote to...
Believe it or not, there were some winners in the stock market this week
NEW YORK — Most of the numbers on Wall Street this week were bright red, but not all of them. Companies that focus on food, health care and other necessities gained ground or held relatively stable, despite a slump in the broader stock market over worries about an escalating trade...
Markets plunge with S&P 500 down 6%, Dow down 2,200 as their worst crisis since covid deepens
NEW YORK — Wall Street’s worst crisis since covid slammed into a higher, scarier gear Friday. The S&P 500 lost 6% after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs announced earlier this week. The move increased the stakes in a trade war that could end with a recession...
Trump extends TikTok deadline another 75 days as U.S. continues to look for deal
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Friday said he is signing an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. Congress had mandated...
Wall Street swings again as approach of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ wallops stock markets worldwide
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s fast-approaching “Liberation Day” sent stock markets swinging sharply worldwide on Monday. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% in another roller-coaster day, after being down as much as 1.7% during the morning. The reversal helped the index shave its loss for the first...
Doctor cites the pope’s ‘surprising improvement’ after surviving life-threatening crises
ROME — Pope Francis has shown ”a truly surprising improvement” since returning to the Vatican to convalesce after surviving a life-threatening bout with double-pneumonia, the doctor who coordinated the pontiff’s five-week hospitalization said Saturday. “I find him very lively,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri said, after visiting the pope at his apartment...
Steph Curry scores a 3-book deal, starting with a “personal reflection” on his life and career
NEW YORK — Steph Curry has a deal with a Random House Publishing Group imprint that you could call a 3-point play. The NBA superstar has agreed to release three books through One World, beginning Sept. 9 with “Shot Ready,” which Curry is calling a “personal reflection” on his life...
Wisconsin judge won’t stop Musk’s $1 million payments to voters. Attorney general appeals
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Saturday declined to stop billionaire Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks to two voters in the state at a planned rally days before the closely contested Supreme Court election. The state attorney general, who argues that the offer violates the law,...
U.S. Naval Academy ends affirmative action in admissions
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The U.S. Naval Academy will no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as a factor for admission to the service institution, a response to an executive order by President Donald Trump, according to federal court documents made public Friday. The change in policy was made in February...
Copper prices have soared as the U.S. threatens tariffs on the metal and China boosts its economy
NEW YORK — Copper prices have hit record highs as an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and its key trading partners threatens to squeeze supplies of the vital metal. Buyers in the U.S. have been stocking up on copper ahead of potential tariffs. Future prices for the base metal’s...
Dollar Tree sells Family Dollar to private equity firms after a decade of trying to find a fit
Dollar Tree is selling Family Dollar to a pair of private equity firms for $1 billion after a decade of trying to make its acquisition of the bargain chain fit. Dollar Tree Inc. acquired Family Dollar for more than $8 billion in 2015 after a bidding war with rival Dollar...
Founders of Black-owned brands adapt their hopes and business plans for a post-DEI era
NEW YORK — The co-founders of a company that makes lip products for darker skin tones no longer hope to get their line into Target. A brother and sister who make jigsaw puzzles celebrating Black subjects wonder if they need to offer “neutral” images like landscapes to keep growing. Pound...
Some Rite Aid shelves remain bare even post-bankruptcy. Experts explain why that may be
PHILADELPHIA — Constance “Conni” Billé can walk to the Germantown Rite Aid store. But she’s stopped going there regularly, opting instead to drive 20 minutes to a CVS store in Chestnut Hill. Rite Aid’s shelves became so bare in recent years, Billé said, that it’s seldom worth the trip. Often,...
Here’s how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
In early 2024, Matthew Hart took a hard look at the upcoming elections around the world and worried that the outcomes did not look promising. “What we knew was that the winds were not in our favor. The winds were not in our sail, and we saw all around the...
Ben & Jerry’s alleges parent company Unilever removed its CEO over social activism
Ben & Jerry’s says its CEO was unlawfully removed by its parent company, Unilever, in retaliation for the ice cream maker’s social and political activism. In a federal court filing late Tuesday, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben...
PepsiCo buys prebiotic soda brand Poppi to gain foothold in functional drinks
PepsiCo said Monday it’s acquiring the prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion. The acquisition gives PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the popular functional beverage category. “More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and...
Gold rises to new heights as anxiety grips markets. Here’s what you need to know
NEW YORK — Amid widespread economic turmoil, the price of gold has soared to levels never seen before. Gold futures surpassed the $3,000 per troy ounce for the first time this week. The price to buy gold on the spot market in New York is following closely behind. Interest in...
Wall Street tumbles 10% below its record for first ‘correction’ since 2023 on Trump’s trade war
NEW YORK — Wall Street’s sell-off hit a new low Thursday after President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month. A 10% drop is a big enough deal that professional investors have a name for it...
Wall Street rises after encouraging inflation data, but the trade war keeps knocking stocks around
NEW YORK — Stock indexes rose Wednesday after Wall Street got some relief from an encouraging inflation update. But even on a rare up day for the market, President Donald Trump’s trade war still knocked stocks around. The S&P 500 gained 0.5% after skidding between an early gain of 1.3%...
Explainer: What’s a recession and why is rising anxiety about it roiling markets?
WASHINGTON — Stock markets are plunging, consumers and businesses have started to sour on the economy, and economists are marking down their estimates for growth this year, with some even seeing rising odds of a recession. The tech-heavy Nasdaq stock index slipped into a correction last week, defined as a...
