The IRS Direct File program, which lets taxpayers file their federal income tax return directly with the IRS for free, is doubling its reach to 24 states for the 2025 tax season, up from 12 states in 2024, the program’s pilot year.

The Direct File program will also accept more types of tax situations for the 2025 tax season. While taxpayers ...Read more

As the end of the year approaches, now’s the time to start preparing for filing your 2024 tax return in 2025.

When it comes to tax strategies, generally Dec. 31 is the deadline to make changes that might lower your tax bill. One major exception is the deadline for contributing to a Roth or traditional IRA: You have until April 15, 2025, to ...Read more

As avian flu scrambles the nationwide egg supply, Bay Area consumers face limited availability of the breakfast staple, with shortages expected to persist until mid-2025, according to U.S. agriculture officials.

Some supermarkets in the region report empty shelves, while others are rationing purchases to ensure eggs remain available to all ...Read more

Walmart Inc. and one of its financial technology partners allegedly opened expensive bank accounts for delivery drivers without their consent, a U.S. consumer protection agency said on Monday.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claimed that Walmart and Branch Messenger Inc. required the delivery drivers to be paid through costly accounts....Read more

The Nordstrom family is joining forces with a Mexican retailer to take its namesake department store private in an all-cash transaction valued at about $6.25 billion, including debt.

The founding family is betting that the century-old retail chain will be more successful without the scrutiny and demands of the public market after shares in ...Read more

Q: What happens to an electric motor power source battery in an EV, plug-in hybrid or hybrid if it is not used for 6 months or more at a time? I am familiar with putting a gasoline engine battery on a maintainer. Related question, what happens to an electric motor battery, in each type of electric vehicle, if it loses all charge in normal use?

...Read more

A Starbucks Corp. strike of unionized baristas has spread to three more cities in the US, disrupting service during the final days of the crucial holiday season.

Baristas from Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, will join strikes that began on Friday in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, according to a union statement.

Starbucks employees ...Read more

Starbucks baristas went on strike at several stores in Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles on Friday, with their union warning the walkouts could spread to hundreds of cafes by Christmas Eve if the coffee giant does not meet workers’ demands at the bargaining table.

In Chicago, baristas at the company’s store at 5964 N. Ridge Ave. in Edgewater...Read more

Starbucks employees at unionized stores across the country began what they plan to be a series of escalating strikes Friday, launching a work stoppage at the coffee giant’s Seattle flagship cafe.

Starbucks Workers United, the union representing store workers, says it is prepared to keep the strike going through Christmas Eve. The union said ...Read more

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. along with the parent company of Zelle alleging the firms rushed a peer-to-peer payment network to market without adequate consumer protections.

“By their failing to put in place proper safeguards, Zelle became a gold mine for ...Read more

The party is over for Party City as the retail giant announced Friday it was going out of business and closing all its stores after nearly 40 years.

Employees of the New Jersey-based party chain were informed in a Friday meeting they were losing their jobs five days before Christmas and would be let go sans severance pay or extension of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Friday announced plans to further evaluate the safety of vehicles equipped with automated driving systems, a potential precursor to nationwide standards for rapidly advancing self-driving technology.

The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program, known as AV STEP, would create a ...Read more

The most powerful leaders in the tech industry are trying out a new playbook to engage Donald Trump, who has been historically opposed to their dominance: in-person dining.

A steady stream of some of the biggest names in technology — Meta Platforms Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos — ...Read more

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday took away the gaming license of the former top executive of the MGM Grand and Resorts World Las Vegas.

Commissioners voted 3-0 with Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey absent to revoke the license of Scott Sibella by approving a stipulation of settlement signed by members of the Nevada Gaming Control Board on...Read more

The attorney general in Nebraska has sued Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group over a cyberattack earlier this year at the company’s Change Healthcare subsidiary that affected the personal health data of about 100 million patients and hobbled systems for filling prescriptions and paying health care providers across the country.

The hack could ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Even as the Trump and Biden administrations have taken and maintained aggressive stances on reducing China's role in major U.S. manufacturing sectors, auto industry veterans say it remains impossible to build cars and trucks without help from the Far East.

That will likely stay true even if Republican President-elect Donald Trump...Read more

The sporty Honda Prelude is back.

The Japanese automaker announced the return of the iconic two-door coupe to North America with a concept that closely resembles production plans. The Prelude is scheduled to join the brand’s lineup late next year as a 2026 model. Prelude first washed up on U.S. shores in 1979 and was discontinued in 2001 ...Read more

With the 2024 models phasing out of the review fleet and 2025s arriving daily, Mercedes made a special request to get the E450 in for a classic luxury review. We enjoyed it very much.

Put your seat back and imagine the year is 1965, with big-body muscle cars all the rage while the length and engine combination demanded ultra plush comfort. We ...Read more

Designers always spend the most time working on exterior car designs to attract buyers, sometimes with disastrous results. But it’s the interior that matters more, as that’s what any car owner and their family and friends is going to look at the most. That dichotomy comes into play on the 2025 Volvo EX90, Volvo’s new battery-electric ...Read more

Federal safety regulators have dropped nine of 10 citations accusing Amazon of putting warehouse workers at a high risk of injury, part of a settlement agreement that requires the company to continue finding ways to reduce injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration began a series of investigations at 10 Amazon facilities around...Read more