Wire stories category, Page 17
United Airlines Q2 profit rises to $1.32B as travel demand offsets rising costs
United Airlines on Wednesday reported that its second-quarter profit rose 23% to $1.32 billion, as record crowds at U.S. airports helped the carrier overcome sharply rising costs for fuel and labor. However, United warned that third-quarter results will fall short of Wall Street expectations. Like rival Delta Air Lines, United...
John Deere ends support of ‘social or cultural awareness’ events, distances from DEI
NEW YORK — Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash. In a statement posted Tuesday to social media platform X, John...
Amazon Prime Day a big event for scammers, experts warn
NEW YORK — Amazon Prime Day is here, and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams. Deceptions such as phony emails from people impersonating online retailers like Amazon are nothing new. But phishing attempts increase amid the heavy spending seen during significant sales events, whether it’s Black Friday...
5 years into Amazon’s Climate Pledge, workers challenge its progress
Five years after Amazon committed to an ambitious climate goal, the company says it is making progress on reducing emissions, but critics allege those calculations are misleading. In its annual sustainability report, released this month, Amazon said carbon emissions dropped 3% last year, largely because of its sizable investment in...
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage falls slightly, easing borrowing costs for home shoppers
LOS ANGELES — The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell slightly this week, providing modest relief for home shoppers facing record-high home prices. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate fell to 6.89% from 6.95% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.96%. The average rate has...
Costco raises annual membership fees for the 1st time since 2017, boosting them an additional $5 to $10
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco bargain hunters are going to have to pay an additional $5 to $10 annually as the popular warehouse chain prepares to raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years. The Issaquah, Washington, company disclosed the forthcoming 8% increase in the fee to gain...
S&P 500 tops 5,600 as Wall Street’s record-breaking rally keeps rollingVideo
NEW YORK — Wall Street’s blistering rally stretched into a seventh day Wednesday and vaulted the U.S. stock market to more all-time highs. The S&P 500 jumped 1% and topped the 5,600 level for the first time. The Nasdaq composite also rallied to a seventh straight gain and added 1.2%...
Archegos Capital founder Bill Hwang convicted of securities fraud
NEW YORK — The founder of Archegos Capital Management, a hedge fund that collapsed in 2021, was convicted Wednesday of securities fraud in a scheme that prosecutors said cost global investment banks billions of dollars. Bill Hwang looked straight ahead as the verdict was read, taking several sips of water...
Fed’s Powell highlights slowing job market in signal that rate cuts may be nearing
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve faces a cooling job market as well as persistently high prices, Chair Jerome Powell said in testimony Tuesday to Congress, a shift in emphasis away from the Fed’s single-minded fight against inflation of the past two years that suggests it is moving closer to cutting...
NHTSA launches recall query into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers as loss of motive power complaints continue
NEW YORK — The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating a potential “loss of motive power” in more than 94,000 Jeep Wrangler 4xe vehicles, after receiving complaints for cars outside the scope of an earlier recall involving an engine shutdown condition in the same SUV model. The National Highway...
Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department saysVideo
Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people, the Justice Department said late Sunday, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years. Federal prosecutors gave...
Air travel is getting worse, passengers tell government
WASHINGTON — Air travel got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the U.S. government is any measure. The Transportation Department said Friday it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints...
Parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue to buy rival Neiman Marcus
NEW YORK — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion. The new entity would be called Saks Global, which will comprise the Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH brands, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, as well...
Delta flight diverts to New York after passengers served spoiled food
NEW YORK — A Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted Wednesday to New York’s Kennedy Airport when passengers were served spoiled food, airline officials said. The redeye flight took off from Detroit around 11 p.m. Tuesday and landed in New York at 4 a.m. “after reports that a...
Black farmers’ association calls for Tractor Supply CEO’s resignation after company cuts DEI efforts
NEW YORK — The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts. The resignation demand emerged as Tractor Supply, which sells products ranging from farming equipment...
Federal Reserve minutes: Inflation is cooling, but more evidence is needed for rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting welcomed recent signs that inflation is slowing and highlighted data suggesting that the job market and the broader economy could be cooling. Both trends, if they continued, could lead the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate in the coming...
Open on July 4: Retailers and airlines. Closed: Government, banks, stock market
NEW YORK — The Fourth of July holiday, also known as Independence Day, celebrates the Second Continental Congress’ unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a document announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. One year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration...
New-vehicle sales barely rose in the 2nd quarter as buyers balked at still-high prices
DETROIT — U.S. new-vehicle sales rose only slightly in the second quarter, despite larger discounts and slightly lower prices. But brisker sales could be on the horizon: Auto industry analysts say they expect prices to drop further and there’s a possibility of interest-rate cuts that would make taking out a...
Cedar Fair CEO takes over Six Flags as merger closes
After months of waiting, Six Flags and Cedar Fair’s merger has finally closed, creating one theme park giant. The move will consolidate both company’s parks under one company and, most importantly to Texans, move Six Flags’ corporate headquarters from Arlington, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina. The merger unites both companies...
U.S. wants Boeing to plead guilty to fraud over fatal crashes, lawyers say
The U.S. Justice Department is pushing Boeing to plead guilty to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday. Boeing will have until the end of the coming week to accept...
Boeing in talks with DOJ to resolve charges over safety lapses
WASHINGTON — Boeing Co. is in talks with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve potential charges stemming from two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jetliners, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The settlement could be announced as soon as next week and is expected to include imposing a...
U.S. miners’ union head: Republican effort to block silica dust rule ‘attack’ on workers
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The head of the national mine workers’ union Friday condemned what he characterized as an effort by House Republicans to block enforcement of a long-awaited federal rule directed at curbing workers’ exposure to poisonous, deadly rock dust, calling it “a direct attack on the health and safety...
Prospect of low-priced Chinese EVs reaching U.S. from Mexico poses threat to automakers
WASHINGTON — It’s a scenario that terrifies America’s auto industry. Chinese carmakers set up shop in Mexico to exploit North American trade rules. Once in place, they send ultra-low-priced electric vehicles streaming into the United States. As the Chinese EVs go on sale across the country, America’s homegrown EVs —...
Homebuyers beat high interest rates with 1980s-era assumable mortgages
Last year, after Deb Jerikovsky’s husband died, she decided to swap the lake home where they planned to spend retirement for a house in that’s closer to family. She put that plan on hold, however, once she realized 7% mortgage rates would force her to dip too deeply into her...
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rate falls again, easing to lowest level since early April
LOS ANGELES — Home loan borrowing costs eased again this week as the average rate on a 30-year mortgage declined to its lowest level since early April. The rate fell to 6.87% from 6.95% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.67%. This...
