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Wire stories category, Page 26

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
No one is driving this taxi. What possibly could go wrong?
SAN FRANCISCO — I won’t forget the first time I took a ride in a car without anyone sitting in the driver’s seat. It happened one night last September when a Chevy Bolt named Peaches picked me up outside a San Francisco bar. Our ensuing half-hour ride together produced, at...
Bud Light fumbles, but experts say inclusive ads will stay
Bud Light may have fumbled its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with a transgender influencer. But experts say inclusive marketing is simply good business — and it’s here to stay. “A few years from now, we will look back on this ‘controversy’ with the same embarrassment that...
First Republic Bank stock plunges as depositors flee 
NEW YORK — First Republic Bank’s stock plunged Tuesday after it said depositors withdrew more than $100 billion during last month’s crisis, with fears swirling that it could be the third bank to fail after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The San Francisco bank said late...
Millennial Money: How card perks can help pregnant travelers
I was 10-weeks pregnant and craving pizza while on vacation in Germany. We picked a well-reviewed restaurant, only to be told that no tables would be available that night. My husband, who meant well, suggested we try our luck at a different restaurant a few doors down. But it didn’t...
First Republic clients pulled $100B in deposits during panic
NEW YORK — Depositors at First Republic Bank pulled more than $100 billion out of the bank during last month’s crisis, as fears swirled that it could be the third bank to fail after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. San Francisco-based First Republic said Monday that...
Bank rates are up. How to avoid leaving money on the table
NEW YORK — Moving your savings around by opening a new account and closing an old one can seem like a hassle. But it’s a use of time that can pay off. After years of paying low rates for savers, banks are finally offering better interest on deposits. Though the...
Twitter verification reappears, but some disavow Musk’s mark
SAN FRANCISCO — Celebrities and other high-profile Twitter users are once again being verified by the social media platform and they don’t know why the blue check marks reappeared — nor do they seem too happy about it. Twitter removed the blue marks last week from accounts that don’t pay...
Struggling Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy protection 
NEW YORK — Bed Bath & Beyond — one of the original big box retailers known for its seemingly endless offerings of sheets, towels and kitchen gadgets — filed for bankruptcy protection, following years of dismal sales and losses and numerous failed turnaround plans. The beleaguered home goods chain made...
Confusion as Musk’s Twitter yanks blue checks from agencies
CHICAGO — Twitter has long been a way for people to keep track of tornado watches, train delays, news alerts or the latest crime warnings from their local police department. But when the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification check marks this week from accounts that don’t pay a...
MyPillow founder ordered to pay $5M in election data dispute
ST. PAUL, Minn. — An arbitration panel has ordered MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell to pay $5 million to a software engineer for breach of contract in a dispute over data that Lindell claims proves that China interfered in the U.S. 2020 elections and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden....
Lyft gears up to make ‘significant’ layoffs under new CEO
SAN FRANCISCO — Lyft is preparing to lay off hundreds of employees just days after new CEO David Risher began steering the ride-hailing service with a eye of driving down costs to help bring its fares more in line with its biggest rival, Uber. Risher, a former Amazon executive, informed...
Unions say rails should forgo buybacks, spend on safety
OMAHA, Neb. — Rail unions want railroads to take some of the billions they’re using every year to buy back their stock and spend it to improve safety in the wake of several high-profile derailments and hire more workers. The 12 unions that represent all of the more than 100,000...
U.S. unemployment claims tick up to 245,000, but still low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains low by historic standards. U.S. jobless claims rose by 5,000 to 245,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, which evens out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 500 to 239,750....
Uneasy marijuana industry seeks broader trade amid vast glut
TUMWATER, Wash. — The email went out to legal cannabis growers around Washington state, alerting them that another of their colleagues had gone under. “Liquidation sale,” it said. Attached was a spreadsheet of items up for grabs: LED grow lights for $500 apiece. Rotary evaporators for hash oil, $10,000. Across...
Netflix to bring down the curtain on its DVD-by-mail service
SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix is poised to shut down the DVD-by-mail rental service that set the stage for its trailblazing video streaming service, ending an era that began a quarter century ago when delivering discs through the mail was considered a revolutionary concept. The DVD service, which still delivers films...
Twitter removes policy against deadnaming transgender people
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,” raising concerns that the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalized groups. Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as...
Stocks drift higher as earnings season kicks into gear
NEW YORK — Wall Street drifted higher Monday to kick off the first full week of earnings reporting season. The S&P 500 rose 13.68, or 0.3%, to 4,151.32 in its first trading after squeezing out its fourth winning week in the last five. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 100.71,...
New U.S. tax credit rules narrow the list of eligible EVs
DETROIT — Ten electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles will be eligible for a $7,500 U.S. tax credit, while another seven could get $3,750 under new federal rules that go into effect on Tuesday. But under the Treasury Department rules and other provisions of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, most of...
New push on U.S.-run free electronic tax-filing system for all
WASHINGTON — It’s that time of year when throngs of taxpayers are buckling down to file their income tax returns before Tuesday’s filing deadline. Many often pay to use software from private companies such as Intuit and H&R Block. Almost one-quarter of Americans wait until the last minute to file...
David’s Bridal could lay off more than 9,000 employees as company explores sale
Pennsylvania-based David’s Bridal, which sells wedding dresses and other clothing and accessories for special occasions, could lay off thousands of people across the country and is exploring a sale of the company. The company filed a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor &...
Wall Street rallies and tech stocks leap as inflation cools 
NEW YORK — A rally Thursday on Wall Street lifted stocks to their highest level in almost two months following the latest sign that inflation continues to cool. The S&P 500 rose 1.3% after a report showed inflation at the wholesale level slowed last month by more than expected. The...
Haven’t filed taxes yet? Don’t panic. Here’s what to know
NEW YORK — The deadline to file your taxes is Tuesday, which is just around the corner. Filing U.S. tax returns — especially for the first time — can seem like a daunting task, but there are steps you can take to make it less stressful. Whether you do your...
Your tax refund could be smaller than last year. Here’s why
NEW YORK — Expecting a tax refund? It could be smaller than last year. And with inflation still high, that money won’t go as far as it did a year ago. The 90 million taxpayers who have filed as of March 31 got refunds that were an average of nearly...
Stocks dip after inflation data, Fed economists’ warning 
NEW YORK — Stocks dipped to close an up-and-down Wednesday on Wall Street as a result of the latest update on inflation and the latest warning of a possible recession. The S&P 500 fell 16.99, or 0.4%, to 4,091.95 after drifting between small gains and losses through the day. The...
Cheaper gas and food provide some relief from U.S. inflation
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer inflation eased in March, with less expensive gas and food providing some relief to households that have struggled under the weight of surging prices. Yet prices are still rising fast enough to keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates at least once more,...


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