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HECTOR AMEZCUA/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

AI boom helps erase California's multibillion-dollar budget deficit

Business / Business News /

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday released an updated budget plan that shows California has erased its projected deficit for the next two years, thanks to billions of dollars in additional tax revenue tied to Silicon Valley’s artificial intelligence boom.

But the windfall is unlikely to offset tens of billions of dollars in health care cuts ...Read more

I-Hwa Cheng/Getty Images North America/TNS

Is artificial intelligence distorting the economy?

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Artificial intelligence has been a big hit on Wall Street, with the five largest spenders shelling out $800 billion this year in capital spending, but some worry it is distorting the economy.

Morgan Stanley estimates AI spending at $1.1 trillion next year, which would be 3.3% of gross domestic product — that’s more than what’s spent on ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: Refreshed 2026 VW Tiguan finally checks all marks

Business / Business News /

For some time we've felt the midsize Volkswagen Tiguan needed a refresh, and we're happy to report that it finally arrived in Grasso's Garage. What a pleasure it was to drive and ride.

Volkswagen kept the 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo simple, priced it right and didn’t go over the top, earning top marks. Similar to the Honda CR-V in size and ...Read more

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Larry Printz: Mercedes-Benz is playing both sides of the EV revolution, and it just might work

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Mercedes-Benz is reaching for an increasingly familiar playbook in the luxury auto market: evolve aggressively without starting over. The automaker recently unveiled a new round of updates to its midsize GLE and flagship GLS sport-utility vehicles at its sprawling plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, underscoring a strategy increasingly common ...Read more

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Auto review: Lexus RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid crossover dishes style and luxury no matter where you roam

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My mother-in-law took quite a journey to find her latest ride. She considered the Toyota Prius, impressed by its sleek style, utility and hybrid fuel economy. She liked the much larger Toyota Crown hybrid even more. But what she really wanted was legit luxury, and she found her vibe with the Lexus RX 350 crossover.

It was an excellent choice, ...Read more

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS

200,000 Californians create as much power as a nuclear plant to help the grid. Now that's up in the air

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Nancy Lipps and her son John Lipps, in Dinuba, are one of more than 200,000 households in California signed up for a statewide program that pays them to help the grid when it’s very hot outside and electricity is at peak demand. They have a battery hooked up to their solar panels, and they share power from it in times of need. It was an easy ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Mazda fixed the CX-5. Except for the turbo-4

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SOUTHFIELD, Michigan — Rarely do I attack a 180-degree cloverleaf with an SUV. Exiting I-75 in the all-new 2026 Mazda CX-5, I activated SPORT mode, stabbed the brakes, then rotated the 3,856-pound ute into the looooong turn, hugging the apex until the all-season tires screamed in protest. The CX-5 stayed true.

Yep, the CX-5’s poised ...Read more

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China agrees to order 200 Boeing aircraft, Trump says

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China has reportedly placed an order for 200 Boeing aircraft, marking Boeing’s first order in nearly a decade from one of the fastest growing aviation markets.

President Donald Trump said on a Fox News interview Thursday that China’s President Xi Jinping agreed to place an order for 200 Boeing planes, part of trade negotiations taking place...Read more

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Honda and Nissan's shifting fortunes may bolster case for tie-up

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Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have essentially traded places since plans to combine the two companies collapsed dramatically last year.

Back then, Nissan’s financial position was deteriorating rapidly and Honda was seen as a white knight. But a prospective tie-up fell apart over Nissan’s resistance to demands from Honda, including ...Read more

Rob Nikolewski/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

California unveils a $1 billion rebate program for electric trucks

Business / Business News /

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that California has launched a $1 billion rebate program to boost the sales of electric medium‑ and heavy‑duty trucks, using money from the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program.

The rebates run $7,500 to $120,000 and can be applied toward the purchase of new electric medium‑ and heavy‑duty ...Read more

Todd McInturf/The Detroit News/TNS

Rocket Mortgage sues rival UWM for $100M

Business / Business News /

Detroit-based home lender Rocket Mortgage filed a lawsuit Thursday against local archrival United Wholesale Mortgage for alleged breach of contract.

The suit marks the latest escalation in a bitter personal and business feud between Rocket Companies Chairman Dan Gilbert and UWM CEO Mat Ishbia.

The filing from Rocket to the New York state ...Read more

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Musk, Altman make final pitches to jury in battle over OpenAI

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A jury will soon cast a vote and a judge will ultimately decide the outcome of a high-stakes showdown between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over OpenAI, the artificial intelligence startup they founded together more than a decade ago.

Lawyers made final arguments Thursday in federal court in Oakland, California, following about two weeks of ...Read more

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LinkedIn, Cisco and Amazon are the latest tech companies laying off more workers

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Job cuts are hammering the tech industry as companies ramp up investments in artificial intelligence.

This week, San José-based tech company Cisco said it was cutting fewer than 4,000 jobs or less than 5% of its workforce. Cisco announced the layoffs the same day that the company reported that it grew its revenue to $15.8 billion and net ...Read more

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Gamers, developers protest Saudi Arabia's bid to acquire Electronic Arts

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As Electronic Arts moves closer to closing a sale of the gaming company to Saudi Arabian investors, it's facing backlash from a group of protestors who are calling it a bad deal.

A coalition calling itself the Players Alliance staged a protest outside Electronic Arts' Redwood City headquarters this week. Dressed as Sims characters, the ...Read more

Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Shawn Fain faces 4 rivals in the UAW president race. Here's the list

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At least four United Auto Workers members plan to take on Shawn Fain to become the next president of the powerful Detroit union later this summer — and more contenders might jump in the race.

The challengers include Brian Keller, a Michigan Stellantis NV worker and vocal Fain critic with a large social media following, as well as Will Lehman,...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Am I responsible for mortgage after signing quit-claim deed?

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Q: My ex and I divorced last year, and she kept the house. I signed a quit-claim deed transferring my interest in the property to her. I thought I was done with it. Now I am trying to buy a small place of my own, and my lender says I still appear to be responsible for the mortgage on the old house. How can that be? I do not even own it anymore. ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Waymo recalls thousands of its driverless cars after some failed to avoid flooded roads

Business / Business News /

Waymo is recalling 3,791 autonomous taxis after a software defect caused some vehicles to drive into flooded roadways, according to a recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

The voluntary recall filed April 30 affects Waymo vehicles operating on the company's fifth and sixth generation Automated Driving System. The ...Read more

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Passenger sues Alaska Airlines over turbulence

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An Alaska Airlines flight passenger says she was injured and “deeply traumatized” from severe turbulence on her 2024 flight from Seattle to Phoenix, which left four crew members hospitalized. Now, she’s suing.

Washington resident Natalie Russell filed a lawsuit Wednesday in King County, Washington, Superior Court claiming Alaska Airlines ...Read more

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Jury awards $49.5 million to family of Boeing 737 Max crash victim

Business / Business News /

A jury on Wednesday awarded $49.5 million to the family of Samya Rose Stumo, a 24-year-old who died when a Boeing 737 Max plane crashed in Ethiopia in March 2019, the second deadly Max crash in a matter of months.

The trial, which started May 4 in a Chicago federal court, resolves one of the last remaining cases filed against Boeing by the ...Read more

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Allegiant closes $1.5B deal to acquire Sun Country Airlines

Business / Business News /

Allegiant Travel Co. on Wednesday completed the $1.5 billion merger with Sun Country Airlines Holdings Inc., potentially creating a leisure airline superpower that will be based in Las Vegas.

Over the next several months, Allegiant and Sun Country will integrate their systems, employees and fleets and, within three years, expect to save $140 ...Read more