California Gov. Gavin Newsom's maskless dinner with medical industry lobbyists and others at a Napa County restaurant where meals cost a minimum of $350 per head was just about the last straw for some beleaguered California small-business owners.

With their livelihoods on the line, a growing number of them are openly defying the latest orders ...Read more

The country is polarized about so many things — the election, the right way to tackle the virus, who you should or shouldn't sit next to at Thanksgiving. So why shouldn't 2020 holiday gift giving join the ever-growing list of potentially hot button topics?

On the one side, you can run into girlfriends or cousins who want to ditch holiday ...Read more

Japan and China are racing to build a new type of ultra-fast, levitating train, seeking to demonstrate their mastery over a technology with big export potential.

Magnetic levitation, or maglev, trains use powerful magnets to glide along charged tracks at super fast speeds made possible by the lack of friction. A handful of short distance and ...Read more

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly posted the first back-to-back weekly increase since July, while Americans' incomes and savings fell last month.

Wednesday's data indicate the economic rebound is becoming more tenuous amid soaring coronavirus cases, fresh lockdowns and an extended deadlock in Congress over a new ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A week ago Monday, cast and crew of the Amazon series "Goliath" gathered to check in for a day of filming at Santa Clarita Studios.

Despite the pandemic, the fourth season of the show is back in action, thanks in part to technology that helps track COVID-19 testing for hundreds of cast and crew members, including stars such as ...Read more

For 27 years, along an industrial strip by the 405 Freeway, Go Kart World has offered family fun with six racetracks and an arcade. But as news of the coronavirus spread in February, customers fled. And in March, health officials shut down the business.

"I was freaking out," said Cynde Harris, co-owner of the Carson, Calif., business with her ...Read more

Q: Your column about Comcast's new Xfinity cloud-based firewall (see tinyurl.com/y39vkcjq) made me wonder what protection my Windows 10 PC would have if I were away from home. You already mentioned that the new Comcast firewall doesn't include antivirus software. Does this mean that if I use a Wi-Fi hot spot at a hotel, I won't have any firewall...Read more

Far fewer women than men are promoted in the finance industry unless they first ask for seniority, a sign of institutional gender bias, according to a new study in Australia.

The survey of 2,000 finance industry professionals showed 76% of men were offered a promotion at least once without requesting it, compared with 57% of women. The study ...Read more

A rare COVID-19 lawsuit claims a deli worker at Publix died of the disease because the company prohibited employees from wearing masks during the early weeks of the pandemic.

Gerardo Gutierrez, an employee in Miami Beach, wasn't allowed to wear his mask back in March because Publix feared that mask-wearing employees would frighten customers, ...Read more

After telling a group of workers laid off from COVID-19 shutdowns that it wouldn't approve federal aid to help them pay up to $1,000 a month in home mortgage payments, Wells Fargo Bank on Tuesday said it had had a change of heart and would let them use the money to pay the bank what they owe, less than a week before the program is due to expire....Read more

Minnesota utility regulators Tuesday authorized their final go-ahead for Enbridge to build its controversial $2.6 billion oil pipeline across northern Minnesota.

That leaves the Canadian company on the brink of beginning work, only needing a more routine stormwater permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

The state Public ...Read more

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged past 30,000 points for the first time in history Tuesday, a day after the Trump administration finally agreed to start the transition process to President-elect Joe Biden.

Investors also appeared encouraged by a series of hopeful developments in the race for a coronavirus vaccine and news that Biden has ...Read more

DETROIT — In an attempt to keep the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic from again disrupting its operations, Ford Motor Co. has ordered a dozen ultra-cold freezers to store vaccines globally when they become available, the company confirmed Tuesday.

"It's important to Ford because the health and safety of our employees is our top priority," ...Read more

Amazon.com Inc. is doling out hiring bonuses as high as $3,000 to make sure it has enough people to squeak through the busy holiday shopping season. That's stoking resentment among existing workers who recently got coupons for Thanksgiving turkeys as a thank you for their hard work.

Social-media chatrooms where Amazon workers congregate have ...Read more

Those tightly packed Black Friday lines that snake through the mall parking lot in the dead of night, past tents and lawn chairs and coolers stacked with still-warm Thanksgiving leftovers, are not exactly conducive to social distancing.

That puts retailers in a difficult position ahead of a hyped shopping day typically marked by frenzied crowds...Read more

Best Buy's comparable sales grew 22.6% in August, September and October as shoppers continued to invest in technology at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The year-over-year sales and earnings growth beat Wall Street expectations for the electronics retailer's third quarter.

Online comparable sales for the quarter grew 174% to $3.82 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Like many people, Agneta Yilmaz has turned to Instacart to handle her shopping during the pandemic. She's trusted the company to deliver fresh groceries from a nearby Ralphs supermarket and, generally speaking, she's been pleased with the service.

So when the Beverly Hills resident recently opened a box of Celeste frozen ...Read more