Wire stories category, Page 41
ExxonMobil publicly denied global warming for years but quietly predicted it
In perhaps one of the most cynically ironic twists in the field of climate science, new research suggests ExxonMobil may have had keener insight into the impending dangers of global warming than even NASA scientists but still waged a decades-long campaign to discredit research into climate change and its connection...
Wall Street ticks higher as hot U.S. inflation cools furtherVideo
NEW YORK — Wall Street closed higher Thursday after a report showed inflation slowed again last month, bolstering hopes the Federal Reserve may take it easier on the economy through smaller hikes to interest rates. While the report on U.S. inflation was clearly encouraging, stocks had already rallied earlier this...
Wall Street wobbles following run-up into inflation report
NEW YORK — Wall Street is wobbling Thursday as it digests a report showing inflation slowed again last month, bolstering hopes the Federal Reserve may take it easier on the economy through smaller hikes to interest rates. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower after flipping between small gains and losses...
U.S. consumer inflation eased again to 6.5% in December
WASHINGTON — Rising U.S. consumer prices moderated again last month, bolstering hopes that inflation’s grip on the economy will continue to ease this year and possibly require less drastic action by the Federal Reserve to control it. Inflation declined to 6.5% in December compared with a year earlier, the government...
New, taller Barbie doll is aimed at kids as young as 3
NEW YORK — Love her or loathe her, Barbie has been transformed again, this time into a version for children as young as 3. Gone is the contentious hourglass figure for My First Barbie, which launched Thursday ahead of July’s live-action film about the icon starring Margot Robbie and Ryan...
Disney faces proxy fight as Peltz pushes to join board
Activist investor Nelson Peltz is fighting for a seat on the board of Walt Disney Co., claiming that the company is struggling with self-inflicted problems. Peltz’s attempt to join Disney’s board comes just months after the company brought back longtime CEO Bob Iger to lead Disney again. Disney urged shareholders...
Can U.S. avoid a recession? As inflation eases, optimism rises
WASHINGTON — For months, the outlook for the U.S. economy has been a mostly bleak one: Inflation hitting a four-decade high, consumer spending weakening, interest rates surging. Most economists penciled in a recession for 2023. An economic downturn is still possible. Yet in recent weeks, with inflation showing widespread signs...
Flight delayed or canceled? Experts share some advice
Thousands of travelers were stranded at U.S. airports Wednesday due to an hours-long computer outage. More than 1,100 U.S. flights were canceled and nearly 8,000 flights were delayed as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration was at fault for the outage,...
Electric vehicles win truck, utility of the year awards
PONTIAC, Mich. — Electric vehicles took two of three categories for the first time in this year’s North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards. Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup won the truck category, while Kia’s EV6 battery-powered EV was named the top SUV. The Integra, a small...
Watchdog sees light at the end of the tunnel for the IRS
WASHINGTON — The IRS is beginning to see “a light at the end of the tunnel” of its customer service struggles, thanks to tens of billions of new money from the Democrats’ climate and health law and the authority to hire more people, according to an independent watchdog within the...
How pay transparency may affect your job search or raise
Knowing if you’re being paid fairly for the work you do is a mystery shrouded in a lack of information. That may be changing, though, and pay transparency may be the catalyst. It’s a growing trend for companies to reveal what a job opening or current position pays — whether...
Soaring egg prices put pressure on consumers and businesses
OMAHA, Neb. — Chickens may not be able to fly very far, but the price of eggs is soaring. A lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to U.S. egg prices more than doubling over the past year, and hatched a lot of...
In-N-Out Burger expanding east of Texas, 1st stop Tennessee
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — In-N-Out Burger announced Tuesday that it plans to open a corporate office in Tennessee and restaurants in and around Nashville by 2026, marking the company’s first expansion east of Texas. Gov. Bill Lee joined In-N-Out Burger owner and president Lynsi Snyder along with other government and company...
Millennial Money: 5 tactics to pay buy now, pay later debt
Chances are that your “buy now, pay later” bill from the holiday season will arrive soon or has already made its debut. If you’re not financially prepared to pay up, late fees or other charges can bury you deeper in debt. Circumstances can change over a matter of weeks through...
Global economy is at risk of recession
WASHINGTON — The global economy will come “perilously close” to a recession this year, led by weaker growth in all the world’s top economies — the United States, Europe and China — the World Bank warned Tuesday. In an annual report, the World Bank, which lends money to poorer countries...
Bill Gates considers West Virginia to expand nuclear energy efforts
GLASGOW, W.Va. — Bill Gates is looking to West Virginia as he plans for the next phase of his effort to reboot U.S. nuclear energy technology: powering the east coast. Microsoft co-founder Gates, who visited a closed down coal-fired plant Monday in Glasgow, W.Va., said he needs to see how...
Top leader departs Rite Aid; company names interim CEO
Rite Aid announced a change at the top on Monday. The company’s president and CEO, Heyward Donigan has departed Rite Aid, the company announced. “It has been a privilege to lead Rite Aid and its exceptional team,”Donigan said in a news release. “I am proud of all that we have...
Feds reviewing Musk tweet about disabling driver monitoring
DETROIT — A tweet from Elon Musk indicating that Tesla might allow some owners who are testing a “Full Self-Driving” system to disable an alert that reminds them to keep their hands on the steering wheel has drawn attention from U.S. safety regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says...
Companies tout environmental tech innovations at CES 2023
LAS VEGAS — The mottled bright green leaves of a pothos plant stood out against the flashy expanse of electric vehicles and smart products at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this year. This particular version of the familiar houseplant was bioengineered to remove 30 times the amount of...
Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war
ROME — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened hunger...
U.S. hiring stays brisk as employers add 223,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — America’s employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in December, evidence that the economy remains healthy even as the Federal Reserve is rapidly raising interest rates to try to slow economic growth and the pace of hiring. With companies continuing to add jobs across the economy, the unemployment rate...
Southwest starts on reputation repair after cancellations
DALLAS — With its flights running on a roughly normal schedule, Southwest Airlines is now turning its attention to repairing its damaged reputation after it canceled 15,000 flights around Christmas and left holiday travelers stranded. The disruptions started with a winter storm and snowballed when Southwest’s ancient crew-scheduling technology failed....
Bed Bath & Beyond warns it may go out of business
NEW YORK — Struggling Bed Bath & Beyond warned on Thursday that there’s substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a “going concern” even as the home goods retailer continues to study options like refinancing its debt or restructuring its business in bankruptcy court. The outlook came after...
Southwest Airlines’ meltdown loss could run $500 million to $700 million
When Southwest Airlines’ had an operational meltdown in October 2021, it cost the airline $75 million in lost revenue. The Columbus Day weekend debacle involved the cancellation of some 2,000 flights. So what kind of hit is the Dallas-based company looking at from its Christmas fiasco that led to more...
Futures inch higher ahead of the release of Fed notes
Wall Street pointed modestly higher Wednesday ahead of the release of notes from the most recent Federal Reserve meeting, which investors hope might hint at a less aggressive stance on interest rates, a tool that the Fed has used to tame inflation. Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index and...
