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Google, Nvidia and other tech titans sign AI deal with the Pentagon

Business / Business News /

Eight technology companies, including Google, Nvidia and SpaceX, have struck deals with the Pentagon to help the U.S. military gain an edge on the battlefield.

"These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain ...Read more

California gained jobs in March as unemployment rate drops to 5.3%

Business / Business News /

California added 28,700 payroll jobs in March, lowering its unemployment rate to 5.3% despite a series of high-profile layoffs that have rocked the tech sector.

The gains were driven by nearly 28,000 new jobs in the health services and private education sectors, according to figures released Friday by the state's Employment Development ...Read more

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UAW monitor recommends changes to address investment 'dysfunction'

Business / Business News /

The United Auto Workers' court-appointed watchdog determined "significant dysfunction" with the processes governing the union's Strike Trust investments but found allegations from President Shawn Fain's office against the union's secretary-treasurer were false and retaliatory.

Monitor Neil Barofsky, a lawyer at Chicago-based law firm Jenner & ...Read more

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Spirit Airlines prepares to shut down without a government bailout

Business / Business News /

Spirit Airlines, the Florida-based carrier that helped popularize low-cost airfare in the U.S., could shut down operations if a deal isn't reached soon with the Trump administration.

Several media outlets including Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Spirit is preparing to shutter, citing people familiar with the ...Read more

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US to hike tariff rate on EU auto imports to 25%, Trump says

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump said he was raising tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%, claiming that the bloc had failed to fully comply with a trade agreement negotiated with the U.S.

“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be ...Read more

How federal confidential data contribute to the 'public good'

Business / Business News /

PITTSBURGH — The federal government collects a lot of granular confidential data about people and businesses that is never released to the public.

Some of it lives inside non-descript secure rooms scattered across the U.S. called Federal Statistical Research Data Centers. Penn State University has one, as does Ohio State University. ...Read more

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Mihir Sharma: The UAE is preparing for a post-oil world

Business / Business News /

For more than five decades, OPEC has been one of the pillars of the global system. It decides how much the rest of us pay for energy — and that price-setting power has made many of its members, especially the United Arab Emirates, extraordinarily rich. Why, then, would the UAE choose to exit, and possibly destroy, the world’s most profitable...Read more

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Auto review: This is one hybrid that makes no sense whatsoever and it's glorious

Business / Business News /

If you are the type who looks at hybrids the way you look at kombucha (suspiciously, with the faint hope that someone will admit it tastes like fermented sadness), you’re in for a rude awakening. The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray hybrid is a slap in the face to everything your sensible mind holds dear.

For it will rip your face off faster ...Read more

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Auto review: Swank GMC Acadia Denali is a couple cylinders short of luxury

Business / Business News /

ROMULUS, Mich. — With the I-94 interchange underwater, I exited Detroit Metro Airport and waded through the flood waters in my 2026 GMC Acadia Denalia. With a GMC truck-like 7.3 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive, the big three-ton, three-row ute shrugged off the hazard while smaller cars turned around.

After churning through the...Read more

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Auto review: 2026 Volvo XC90 continues to win the Luxury category

Business / Business News /

Long-time Grasso’s Garage readers know Volvo reigns supreme in the luxury category, and this week, the proof is in the pudding.

With an Aurora Silver exterior, great sight lines and fantastic comfort, the 2026 Volvo XC90 T8 AWD PHEV Ultra delivers a statement as it enters our garage.

The XC90 is powered by the illustrious 2.0L Turbo charged ...Read more

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How Mae, an AI real estate agent, is putting a face on HomeServices of America

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The country’s newest real estate specialist is Mae (short for Maestro), and she was just born this year.

The “synth human” is really part of a new AI-powered platform that will put a (digital) face on Minneapolis-based HomeServices of America, which owns mortgage, title, insurance and escrow companies, among others. The ...Read more

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Legal battle to halt Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger expands with 5 new states

Business / Business News /

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has enlisted new allies in his legal battle to unravel Nexstar Media Group's takeover of rival television station group Tegna Inc.

Late Thursday, Bonta announced that five additional states have joined his coalition that is suing to block the $6.2-billion merger. With the additional plaintiffs, the group ...Read more

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Stocks hit record at end of best month since 2020

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Signs of strength in the world’s largest economy fueled investor optimism about the outlook for Corporate America’s earnings, driving stocks to their best month since late 2020.

Equities hit fresh highs, with the S&P 500 extending its April surge to 10% as data showed US growth accelerated amid an AI-driven upswing in business investment. A...Read more

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Customers are taking Ikea to federal court in Philly to demand refunds for tariff price hikes

Business / Business News /

PHILADELPHIA — When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in February, companies swiftly lined up to demand a refund.

And Ikea shoppers want their money back too.

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Philadelphia asks a judge to order the furniture company to pay back ...Read more

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High beef prices drive blame game among farmers, processors and sellers

Business / Business News /

CANNON FALLS, Minn. — Consumers hungry for protein are still buying beef, but the meat’s producers from the farm to the butcher shop know it’s too expensive.

At Everett’s Foods in southeastern Minnesota, some customers are starting to pick the store’s signature sausages over pricier cuts of beef, employees said. Cannon Falls rancher ...Read more

Roger Sweet, the toymaker behind 'He-Man,' dies at 91

Business / Business News /

Roger Sweet, the toymaker who designed the brawny superhero He-Man, has died. He was 91.

Mattel, Sweet's longtime employer and the toy company behind the Masters of the Universe characters, confirmed his Tuesday death to The Times. No additional details were immediately available.

"Roger played a pivotal role in the early development of ...Read more

Stellantis reports first-quarter improvements but shares fall sharply

Business / Business News /

DETROIT — As Stellantis NV began what CEO Antonio Filosa has called the automaker's "year of execution" after a difficult 2025, the company reported first-quarter improvements Thursday that included a near tripling of its adjusted operating income.

But the maker of Chrysler, Jeep, Ram and Fiat vehicles nevertheless saw Milan-listed shares ...Read more

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US GDP rose 2% in early 2026 in sign of economy's resilience

Business / Business News /

U.S. economic growth accelerated at the start of the year, fueled by a massive upswing in business investment and solid consumer demand.

Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product increased an annualized 2% in the first quarter after the longest-ever federal government shutdown limited growth in the closing months of 2025, according to an ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: New survey shows our driveway overlaps neighbor's property. Now what?

Business / Business News /

Q: We are preparing to refinance our home, and the lender ordered a new survey. It turns out that about 2 feet of our driveway is on our neighbor’s property. The driveway has been there since the house was built over 20 years ago, and no one has ever said a word about it. Now we are worried this could cause problems. What should we do? — ...Read more

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US jobless claims plunge to 189,000, lowest since 1969

Business / Business News /

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits plunged to the lowest level in decades, a sign that job-cut announcements have not yet meaningfully translated into layoffs.

Initial claims fell by 26,000 to 189,000 in the week ended April 25. according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of ...Read more