The San Diego Union-Tribune’s panel of economists and business leaders reflect on the past year and share what they’re grateful for this year.

Question: What are you most thankful for, economically, this Thanksgiving?

Economists

Caroline Freund, University of California-San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

Innovative economy:...Read more

For more than a century, Atlanta beverage giant Coca-Cola has released holiday ads that have closely shaped much of the imagery associated with Christmas. Think Santa Claus and polar bears.

This year, some of Coca-Cola’s holiday ads airing on TV look a little different. They’re generated by artificial intelligence.

In what is the company�...Read more

CHICAGO — The South Side took another step toward becoming a national computer hub Thursday when the Chicago Plan Commission approved the creation of a quantum computer research park on the long-vacant U.S. Steel South Works site.

The vote came after hours of impassioned testimony from dozens of community residents. Many said the project ...Read more

As the Las Vegas Strip prepares for a major motorsports event on the roads this week, some bartenders at a small casino within the Grand Prix circuit are taking off instead of picking up shifts during the Formula One weekend.

“My bartenders all wanted the week off because they did no money last year,” Randy Markin, owner of Stage Door ...Read more

The day after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — is typically the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. But a San Diego marketing expert thinks bargains can be found as early as this weekend because Turkey Day comes later than usual this year.

“We might see greater competition (among retailers) and you may see base discounts bump up into the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — And then there were nine.

Finalists for 2025 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) were announced Thursday to kick off the Los Angeles Auto Show. In a variety pack of nominees, Detroit brands scored four nominations.

Car of the Year finalists are the $29,845 Honda Civic Hybrid, $23,145 Kia K4 and $...Read more

As Ford Motor Co.’s upscale brand has had some hurdles in recent years, recently with new releases and lackluster profits, the Lincoln Nautilus arrives in Grasso’s Garage with a bang. Wrapped in beautiful Blue Panther Metallic paint, our Nautilus AWD Black Label tester was appealing to onlookers and riders alike.

On the inside, the Nautilus...Read more

Woodside, California — Forget Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The heavyweight fight to watch is GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate vs GMC Sierra Denali EV.

That's right, the gold-studded GMC brothers are facing off in a V-8 vs. battery death match.

Along with Honda, General Motors Co. is the most committed legacy automaker to an electric future. It even ...Read more

If you live in Florida, California, New York, Texas or Georgia, you’ll particularly appreciate the 2025 Hyundai Tucson. These states lead the nation in plastic surgeries, accounting for 92% of procedures, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. So if you live there, odds are better that you’ve had work done. So ...Read more

The fate of TikTok in the U.S. has been up in the air since 2020, when President Donald Trump moved to ban the popular video app because of national security concerns.

That set off four years of back-and-forth between the app’s Chinese owners and the U.S. government, with a possible ban scheduled to go into effect one day before Trump’s ...Read more

A plan by Advance Auto Parts to stem deepening losses by closing hundreds of stores will result "in a complete exit of certain markets on the West Coast" as the company shutters California locations, its chief executive said.

The national auto supply chain plans to close more than 725 locations around the country as well as four distribution ...Read more

DirecTV has notified EchoStar Corp. of its intention to terminate an acquisition of Dish Network Corp. after they failed to win the consent of bondholders for a key debt exchange, all but killing a deal to create the largest U.S. pay-TV service.

DirecTV, which warned this month it would terminate the deal by midnight Friday without an ...Read more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The number of nonresidents in the Alaska workforce has reached its highest rate in nearly 25 years.

About 22.5% of Alaska's workforce lived outside Alaska in 2023, the highest since at least 2000, according to preliminary data released by Dan Robinson, research chief with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — While other manufacturers have moved away from auto show reveals in recent years, Hyundai Motor Co. has embraced the big tent. That includes the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the brand has pulled the sheets off a parade of new vehicles in the last four years including the gas-powered Palisade and Santa Fe SUVs and the battery-...Read more

President-elect Trump's nomination of Brendan Carr as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is bringing both hope and fear to the media industry.

For media executives, the hope comes in the promise of industry consolidation.

Companies such as Fox Television Stations, Nexstar Media Group, Tegna and Gray Media are eager to ...Read more

Dozens of tenants at an affordable housing complex for arts and entertainment workers are in rebellion amid a dispute over a rent increase and other alleged issues at the Hollywood property.

A group of residents at the Hollywood Arts Collective released a statement Thursday accusing Thomas Safran & Associates, the property management company, ...Read more

SUNNYVALE, California — Google unveiled Wednesday its first mass timber office building, a cutting-edge and eco-friendly structure in Sunnyvale the search giant hopes will be a productive and healthy workspace.

Over time, the five-story structure — built on the site of the one-time headquarters of video games pioneer Atari — is expected ...Read more

When Comcast swallowed NBC and Universal Studios 14 years ago, the sibling cable channels USA Network, Bravo and CNBC were considered diamonds in the rough.

USA Network had gained traction with its "Blue Skies" programming strategy: sunny and upbeat TV programs infused with a buoyant energy and natural light. The cable channels were ...Read more

When NBC launched MSNBC in 1996, the network was marketed with the slogan "It's Time to Get Connected," a line that acknowledged the emergence of the internet as a game-changing force in the media. Microsoft, then a minority partner in the channel, made web culture part of its programming.

Now, MSNBC is being upended by the very technology it ...Read more