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Michael Hiltzik: As Trump torpedoes antitrust enforcement, the states fill the vacuum

Business / Business News /

Only a few days ago, Paramount Skydance's planned $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery appeared to be on the glide path to completion.

The deal, which would be the largest merger in Hollywood history, had won approval from several foreign governments and, on June 12, Justice Department antitrust regulators.

The Justice Department's ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: My contractor stiffed a supplier, and now there's a lien on my home. What do I do?

Business / Business News /

Q: We hired a contractor to redo our kitchen and paid him every dollar we owed, on time, right through the final check. Last week, we got a certified letter saying the company that supplied our cabinets was never paid and has now put a lien on our house. We paid in full. How is there a lien on our home, and do we really have to pay for those ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Netflix is the king of streaming. So why is its stock down this year?

Business / Business News /

Netflix has long been seen as the winner in the streaming wars, with more than 325 million subscribers globally and hits like "Stranger Things" and "KPop Demon Hunters."

For months, Netflix had been telling investors how it planned to scale its business to new heights by acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, a potentially transformative media deal....Read more

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SpaceX stock erases all its gains and slides below IPO price

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SpaceX stock dropped below its initial public offering price for the first time on Wednesday, signaling dwindling hype around the Elon Musk company.

Shares dipped below their IPO price of $135 on Wednesday morning for the first time since listing, a humbling loss for the stock, which had skyrocketed more than 50% in its first days of trading ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

WA announces cap on rent hikes for 2027

Business / Business News /

Landlords across Washington state can raise rents by up to 10% next year.

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced the annual cap Wednesday, the latest reflection of persistently high inflation in the Seattle area.

The cap stems from a state law passed last year limiting rent hikes at many properties to 7% plus inflation, up to a ...Read more

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Lawsuit accuses Meta of using AI to target workers for layoffs who took medical and maternity leave

Business / Business News /

Social media giant Meta is accused in a lawsuit filed this week of using artificial intelligence to target employees for layoffs who had taken medical, disability or maternity leave.

Meta’s AI tools, used for the company’s 10% reduction in global staff earlier this year, drew on employees’ performance ratings and use of AI that “by ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Michigan agencies grant permits for Line 5 oil pipeline tunnel project

Business / Business News /

LANSING, Michigan — Two state agencies issued permits Wednesday necessary for the construction of a 4-mile-long tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac to house a new segment of the controversial Line 5 oil pipeline.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy announced Tuesday it had reissued a wetlands permit for Enbridge's Great ...Read more

Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times/TNS

Starbucks' shifting 'center of gravity' worries WA officials

Business / Business News /

Since Starbucks’ March announcement of plans for a corporate office in Nashville, Tennessee, the company has tirelessly declared that Seattle remains its global headquarters.

But top Washington officials were clearly worried about the optics of Starbucks’ Nashville move, particularly given the layoffs and other cuts that have already ...Read more

Andy Morrison/The Detroit News/TNS

Trade war could cut annual traffic on Gordie Howe bridge by 500K

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — When the Gordie Howe International Bridge eventually opens after repeated delays by the Trump administration, the span likely will see far less traffic in its initial years than planners previously anticipated.

Car and truck flows across the bridge, according to a Detroit News analysis that uses 2025 data as a reference point, ...Read more

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PayPal is working with Goldman, Evercore as suitors circle

Business / Business News /

PayPal Holdings Inc. has been working with advisers to review strategic options, people familiar with the matter said, as Stripe Inc. and private equity firm Advent pursue a $50 billion-plus takeover of the fintech pioneer.

The San Jose, California-based company has been working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Evercore Inc. in recent months ...Read more

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Newsom revives local news fund at a fraction of the amount first promised

Business / Business News /

Months after Gov. Gavin Newsom stripped state funding from a much larger plan to support California journalism, his office announced Tuesday that the state and Google will put a combined $40 million into grants for local newspapers over the next two years.

California and Google will each contribute a total of $20 million to the California Civic...Read more

Laurie Ochoa/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Midwest burger chain targets California, taking on In-N-Out

Business / Business News /

Watch out, In-N-Out; another chain is targeting California consumers with its big burgers.

Although Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers features California on its menu with its "California Style Double" burger, only a handful of its outlets are in California.

Last week, it announced plans to change that by making Northern California a focus...Read more

Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Tourism still drives Southern Nevada economy despite visitation dip, analyst says

Business / Business News /

Despite a decline in visitation last year, Southern Nevada’s tourism industry remained the region’s dominant economic engine, generating $50.8 billion in visitor spending and supporting nearly one out of every three jobs, according to a new report presented Tuesday.

Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst with Las Vegas-based economic research ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Paramount shareholder lawsuit accuses Ellisons of 'corruption'

Business / Business News /

In the latest lawsuit against Paramount Skydance, a corporate shareholder has alleged corruption at the highest levels of the company, which is battling to complete its $111 billion takeover of rival Warner Bros. Discovery to create a new media behemoth.

Controlling shareholders Larry Ellison and his son David have presided over a firm that ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Inside the states' case to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger: 'Each side is taking risks'

Business / Business News /

California Attorney General Rob Bonta's big swing — leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount Skydance's $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery — could reverberate through the entertainment business for years to come.

Late Monday, Bonta's coalition of Democratic prosecutors asked a federal judge to...Read more

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322,000 Californians sign up to have data brokers delete their personal information

Business / Business News /

More than 300,000 Californians have demanded that hundreds of data brokers erase information about their locations, finances, health and personal lives as the state’s first-in-the-nation Delete Act requires brokers to start the mandatory process of removing data on Aug. 1.

Brokers must start accessing deletion requests within 45 days after ...Read more

Breana Noble/The Detroit News/TNS

Q&A: Ford CEO talks about shaping a long-term quality culture

Business / Business News /

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has visited 13 plants in the past year and plans to see at least two more before the year's end.

The plant visits are part of the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker's efforts to improve quality after warranty costs have hit financial results and it has posted record annual recalls. The work in rethinking its operations ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Mechanics say they're losing business as vehicles get more high tech

Business / Business News /

High-tech features are making vehicles more expensive and difficult to repair, putting pressure on already strained car owners and posing an existential crisis for mom-and-pop mechanics, analysts and consumer advocates say.

At issue is the shift from mostly mechanical vehicles to "big four-wheel rolling computers," as one auto industry analyst ...Read more

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A 'next generation studio' for YouTube creators

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood's fascination with YouTube creators is going to the next level.

Los Angeles-based investment firm Content Partners and media entrepreneur Ed Simpson announced this week that they are launching a new company, Wonderloom Media, that will acquire YouTube-creator led businesses.

Wonderloom's first acquisition is YouTube ...Read more

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AI bumps power cost 60% as mega US grid fails to hit supply goal

Business / Business News /

Power-hungry data centers have increased supply costs for the largest U.S. electric grid by more than 60%, the system watchdog said.

PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 13 states and Washington, DC, said Tuesday that its auction to procure power for the year starting June 2028 tied a $16.4 billion record set in late 2025. Data centers ...Read more