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Wire stories category, Page 5

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
U.S. government sues Southwest Airlines and fines Frontier for chronically delayed flights
The Transportation Department is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines. The agency said the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans....
U.S. recovers $31 million in Social Security payments to dead people
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government clawed back more than $31 million in Social Security payments that improperly went to dead people, a recovery that one official said Wednesday was “just the tip of the iceberg.” The money was reclaimed as part of a five-month pilot program after Congress gave the...
Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy
If you want to hang out or use the restroom at Starbucks, you’re going to have to buy something. Starbucks on Monday said it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new code of conduct — which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores...
Kohl’s to close 27 stores by April as struggling department stores works to improve sales
NEW YORK — Kohl’s said Friday it was closing 27 underperforming locations in 15 states by April — a fraction of its 1,150 store base — as the struggling department store chain aims to boost profitability and improve sagging sales. The announcement comes as the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based chain has...
Latest NFL season highlights financial risks for sports betting companies when so many favorites win
NEW YORK — It’s been a tough football season for sports books. FanDuel and its key rival DraftKings have both showed investors that the house can indeed lose, or at least lose more than anticipated. Flutter Entertainment, which operates FanDuel and dominates the sports betting industry with a market value...
Honda Civic hybrid, Ford Ranger and Volkswagen ID. Buzz win 2025 North American vehicle awards
DETROIT — The Honda Civic hybrid won the 2025 North American Car of the Year award, while the Ford Ranger took the crown for the truck honors, and Volkswagen ID. Buzz won the utility award. The honors, announced Friday morning during an Automotive Press Association event kicking off the North...
Service workers union rejoins AFL-CIO after 20 years just ahead of Trump’s inauguration
WASHINGTON — The Service Employees International Union is returning to the AFL-CIO after 20 years, betting that a united labor movement will do more to help workers overcome legal challenges to organize and join unions. The union groups’ executive boards each unanimously approved the combination on Wednesday, with plans to...
Longshoremen reach tentative agreement with ports, shippers, averting potential strike
U.S. longshoremen reached a contract agreement with ports and shippers Wednesday, averting a potential strike that could have damaged the American economy. The International Longshoremen’s Association union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance of ports and shipping companies said they had reached a tentative agreement for a six-year contract, a week...
Oil, gas lease sale for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge again receives no bids
JUNEAU, Alaska — The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday said no bids were submitted for this week’s oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — a sale the state has challenged as too restrictive and at odds with a 2017 law aimed at opening the refuge’s...
How removing unpaid medical bills from credit reports could help consumers
NEW YORK — Lenders will no longer be able to consider unpaid medical bills as a credit history factor when they evaluate potential borrowers in the U.S. for mortgages, car loans or business loans, according to a rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized Tuesday. Removing medical debts from consumer...
McDonald’s the latest company to roll back diversity goals
McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision outlawing affirmative action in college admissions. McDonald’s is the latest to shift its tactics in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and the conservative backlash that followed. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others have...
US new vehicle sales rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates dropped a little
DETROIT — New vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates eased a bit, making SUVs, cars and trucks a little more affordable. Industry analysts say discounts such as rebates and low-interest financing should get even better as 2025 rolls along, with the biggest...
A data company has figured out which airlines fly on time most often
Mexican airline Aeromexico had the world’s best record for on-time arrivals in 2024, according to an annual ranking released Thursday. Delta Air Lines scored the highest among U.S. carriers despite a computer outage that caused thousands of flight cancellations in July. Aviation-data provider Cirium said in a report that nearly...
Wall Street indexes lose ground as market closes another record-breaking year
Stock indexes closed mostly lower Tuesday as the market delivered a downbeat finish on the final day of another milestone-shattering year on Wall Street. The S&P 500 gave up an early gain to finish down 0.4%. The benchmark index, which set 57 record highs in 2024, racked up a 23.3%...
Value-seekers drove 2024’s retail trends and dead ends
Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. Well-heeled customers traded down to Walmart and Aldi. Diners opted for fast food or home cooking instead of...
How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers
NEW YORK — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger...
Players have mixed feelings about being on the road on Christmas as NFL adds more holiday games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Asked if there was any special meaning to playing on Christmas for a second straight season, Lamar Jackson paused for several seconds before answering. That said it all. “I mean, it is,” he finally replied, trying to be diplomatic. “That means we’re good. But at the...
1,000-yard rushers are keeping pace with 1,000-yard receivers for a change in the NFL
Led by free-agent bargains Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, the number of big-play running backs is rivaling the number of high-production wide receivers for a change. With two weeks remaining in the season, there are 11 players who have reached the 1,000-yard milestone in both rushing and receiving, a far...
Walmart, fintech partner accused of illegally opening costly bank accounts for drivers
Walmart Inc. and one of its financial technology partners allegedly opened expensive bank accounts for delivery drivers of the world’s largest retailer without their consent, a U.S. consumer protection agency said Monday. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Walmart and Branch Messenger Inc., claiming they required those in the Spark...
Egg shortage expected to ease in 2025, USDA says
As avian flu scrambles the nationwide egg supply, consumers often face limited availability of the breakfast staple, with shortages expected to persist until mid-2025, according to U.S. agriculture officials. Some supermarkets report empty shelves, and others are rationing purchases to ensure eggs remain available to all customers. Since early November,...
The Container Store, buffeted by rough housing market and competition, seeks bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK — The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to 1978 grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages. The Texas company has faced increasing competition from retailers like Target and Walmart at the same time that...
Party City to close its stores as company files for bankruptcy
LOS ANGELES — For nearly 40 years, customers flocked to Party City for Halloween costumes, favors for children’s birthday parties and decorations for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Now, the go-to shop for everything from cartoon-themed balloons to Super Bowl decor is closing stores. Party City announced Saturday that it would...
Starbucks workers plan strikes that could spread to hundreds of U.S. stores by Christmas Eve
Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across...
Philip Morris boss sees no easy way to keep minors from nicotine
Just a year after he became chief executive officer of Philip Morris International Inc., Jacek Olczak swooped on rival nicotine pouch maker Swedish Match in a $16 billion deal. Olczak wanted the company’s vast U.S. distribution network and popular Zyn nicotine pouches, which are about the size of a chiclet...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate by a quarter-point but envisions fewer reductions next year 
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point — its third cut this year — but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than it previously envisioned, mostly because of still-elevated inflation. The Fed’s 19 policymakers projected that they...


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