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Courtesy Ford Motor Co./TNS/TNS

Ford hails 'breakthrough' from lithium manganese-rich batteries

Business / Business News /

Ford Motor Co.'s director of electrified propulsion engineering on Wednesday hailed a "breakthrough" in battery chemistry from the Dearborn automaker's battery research and development center in Romulus.

Ford is working to scale lithium manganese-rich cell chemistry and integrate the batteries into Ford's lineup within this decade, Charles Poon...Read more

Rodney Ho/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

It's been 40 years since debut of 'New Coke,' Coca-Cola's biggest failure

Business / Business News /

It’s been 40 years since Atlanta-based Coca-Cola launched a new formula for its famed namesake cola, called it New Coke and prompted a national outcry — forcing the company to walk back the decision on its biggest blunder ever.

The company has never been able to live it down, and the flub became a case study in what not to do in business.

...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Intel to announce plans this week to cut over 20% of staff

Business / Business News /

Intel Corp. is poised to announce plans this week to cut more than 20% of its staff, aiming to eliminate bureaucracy at the struggling chipmaker, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The move is part of a bid to streamline management and rebuild an engineering-driven culture, the person said, asking not to be identified because ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Google paid Samsung 'enormous sums' for Gemini AI app installs

Business / Business News /

Alphabet Inc. pays Samsung Electronics Co. an “enormous sum of money” every month to preinstall Google generative AI app, Gemini, on its phones and devices, according to court testimony, even though the company’s practice of paying for installations has twice been found to violate the law.

The company began paying Samsung for Gemini in ...Read more

Ambient Photonics/TNS/TNS

High-powered solar cells are poised to replace batteries

Business / Business News /

The basic technology behind Ambient Photonics’s solar cells is so simple that it’s routinely assembled as a high school science experiment. In labs across the U.S., students sandwich blackberries’ potent pigment between glass to create dye-sensitized cells capable of harnessing energy from the sun.

Ambient Photonics’s process is more ...Read more

K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

San Diego judge blocks Trump administration anti-money laundering affecting border businesses

Business / Business News /

A San Diego federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a rule that the government said would crack down on money laundering but that a San Diego small business owner argued would likely force her to close down.

The rule, enacted last week by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement ...Read more

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla profit falls in the wake of brand controversy and tariffs

Business / Business News /

Tesla is off to a bumpy start this year.

The electric vehicle giant’s profit plunged 71% in the first quarter to $409 million as the company faced a flurry of setbacks, including looming tariffs and a brand crisis perpetuated by Chief Executive Elon Musk’s prominent role in the Trump administration.

The Austin, Texas-based company reported...Read more

Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tariffs blamed for hundreds of layoffs at Volvo truck plants

Business / Business News /

Up to 100 workers at Volvo Group’s engine and transmission plant in Hagerstown will be part of hundreds of layoffs in three states amid market uncertainty and recent tariffs.

Volvo Group, a maker of heavy-duty trucks, plans to lay off as many as 800 people at facilities in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, a spokesman said Tuesday.

“...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Trump's tariffs threaten Southern California's $300 billion trade industry, report says

Business / Business News /

President Trump's tariffs, along with growing land-use and environmental regulations, could devastate Southern California's nearly $300 billion trade and logistics industry in the coming years, according to a Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. report released Tuesday.

The report, commissioned last year by the public policy group ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Amazon must negotiate with Teamsters at San Francisco warehouse, NLRB says

Business / Business News /

Amazon is obligated to collectively bargain with warehouse workers at its San Francisco distribution facility, the U.S. federal labor board says.

A complaint issued Monday by a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board accused Amazon of illegally refusing to negotiate with employees after a majority signed union authorization ...Read more

Trump says he has no intention of firing Fed chief Powell

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell despite his frustration with the central bank not moving more quickly to slash interest rates.

“Never did,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “The press runs away with things. No, I have no intention of firing him. I would like to see him be a ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

23andMe says 'independent' person to guide DNA decisions is important in its bankruptcy case

Business / Business News /

ST. LOUIS — Attorneys general from about 30 states, including Missouri, say the popular DNA testing company 23andMe shouldn't be allowed to decide on its own how to handle the genetic data of its 15 million customers as the company goes through bankruptcy.

The states are asking the court to appoint an independent consumer privacy ombudsman ...Read more

Major auto groups make united plea for tariff relief from Trump

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — Industry trade groups representing automakers, dealers and suppliers sent a joint letter Monday to top Trump administration officials urging relief from tariffs on auto parts set to take effect next month.

"Tariffs on auto parts will scramble the global automotive supply chain and set off a domino effect that will lead to higher ...Read more

Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune/TNS

As companies return to the office, spas and other amenities are key to wooing workers back

Business / Business News /

CHICAGO — Neil Schneider and his co-workers at architectural firm HOK are already enjoying the 11th floor cafe and gathering spaces at One Prudential Plaza in the East Loop and look forward to using a revamped outdoor amenity deck by summer.

“People can go down there with their lunch, enjoy it and not feel they have to be in the office all ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Target calls CEO Brian Cornell's meeting with Trump about tariffs 'productive'

Business / Business News /

Target CEO Brian Cornell and other retail chiefs had a “productive meeting” about tariffs on Monday with President Donald Trump.

The meeting, which included Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Home Depot CEO Ted Decker, was “to discuss the path forward on trade,” Target said in a statement. “We remain committed to delivering value for ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump's trade war shaking pillars of financial system, IMF warns

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President Donald Trump’s trade war is threatening the global financial stability that’s kept banks and insurers safe since the 2008 crisis, the International Monetary Fund warned, as it urged policymakers to bolster their industries’ defenses.

The world has seen a sharp repricing of some assets and heightened volatility across stock, ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Retailers, including Target, Walmart and Home Depot CEOs, meet with Trump to discuss tariffs

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump met with top American retailers Monday to discuss the impact of tariffs on their businesses.

The meeting took place at the White House and included Target CEO Brian Cornell, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Home Depot CEO Ted Decker.

“We had a productive meeting with President Trump and our retail peers to discuss the ...Read more

Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Airline customer satisfaction drops, study says

Business / Business News /

A new study shows a decline in customer satisfaction with airlines and other travel firms, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

The decreased satisfaction comes amid a drop in travel, a shaky economy and concerns about the future for premium travel services, the study says.

Business travelers and other “high-value” ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Smart roads could lead the way to faster, safer travel -- and beating China

Business / Business News /

DETROIT — Smart roads that enable vehicles to communicate with traffic infrastructure could help goods and people travel faster and be the key to unlocking innovation to help the United States compete with China, one Bank of America automotive analyst is suggesting.

Worries about China's economic activity and research and development are ...Read more

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Boeing sells Jeppesen unit to Thoma Bravo for $10.6 billion

Business / Business News /

Boeing Co. agreed to sell its flight navigation unit and related assets to Thoma Bravo for $10.6 billion in cash, the first major portfolio transaction under Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg as he seeks to shore up the planemaker’s finances.

The deal involving the Jeppesen business also includes Boeing’s ForeFlight, AerData and ...Read more