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Tesla shares jump most in two months on robotaxi service launch

Business / Business News /

Tesla Inc. shares climbed after the automaker rolled out its long-promised driverless taxi service to a handful of riders, a modest debut for what Elon Musk sees as a transformative new business line.

The first robotaxi trips were limited to a narrow portion of Tesla’s hometown of Austin on Sunday, with an employee sitting in the front ...Read more

DREAMSTIMES/TNS

Why long-term CDs can be a smart choice in any rate environment

Business / Business News /

Whether interest rates are rising, falling, or holding steady, long-term certificates of deposit (CDs) can play a valuable role in your financial strategy. While timing the market perfectly is impossible, understanding the benefits of long-term CDs can help you make better decisions about when and how to incorporate them into your savings plan. ...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Bitcoin mining: A beginner's guide to how it works

Business / Business News /

Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new bitcoins by solving extremely complicated math problems that verify transactions in the currency. When a bitcoin is successfully mined, the miner receives a predetermined amount of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is one of the most popular types of cryptocurrencies, which are digital mediums of exchange that exist...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

About 78% of Americans say they're uncomfortable investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Here's why

Business / Business News /

Despite all the hype around cryptocurrency, the vast majority of Americans say they’re uncomfortable investing in it, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Long-Term Investment Survey. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans (78%) say they’re not comfortable putting their investment dollars in crypto.

So, what might be making Americans uncomfortable with ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Motormouth: What is that chime?

Business / Business News /

Q: R.K. from Chicago mentioned their 2025 CX-50 chimes when going over railroad tracks. I don't have that vehicle, but I know our Prius makes a beeping noise when the car encounters situations that seem like it is losing contact with the road (slipping on snow, big bumps, etc.). I'm not technical, but I've assumed it's the ESC (electronic ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Tesla readies robotaxis in overdue step toward Musk dream

Business / Business News /

Tesla Inc. plans to roll out its first robotaxis on the streets of Austin Sunday afternoon after almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker.

The chief executive officer said initial users would pay a $4.20 flat rate for the driverless trips, which will be limited to certain areas of the city. Tesla...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

NYC sets smaller driver pay bump after Uber, Lyft pushback

Business / Business News /

New York City on Friday announced new minimum-pay rules for rideshare drivers, settling on a smaller-than-proposed 5% increase following pushback from Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc.

An earlier proposal called for a 6.1% pay boost. The finalized regulations from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, or TLC, are also designed to ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

Econometer: Should the US ban drug advertising to consumers?

Business / Business News /

The U.S. is rare among Western nations because it allows pharmaceutical advertising. But a new effort aims to stop it.

A bill was introduced in Congress recently that would ban pharmaceutical manufacturers from using direct-to-consumer advertising, from TV to social media, to promote their products.

Prescription drug advertising employs a lot ...Read more

David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

How Five Below used AI to target tweens and cut costs

Business / Business News /

Five Below, the Philadelphia-based chain with 1,800 stores that target middle schoolers and other young people, is in recovery, with sales growth and share price rebounding after a tough year.

Invent.ai, a 200-person Philadelphia software developer that uses artificial intelligence to automate product and inventory strategies, is taking some of...Read more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

Michael Hiltzik: Social Security is still in good shape but faces challenges -- from Trump

Business / Business News /

The annual reports of the Social Security and Medicare trustees provide yearly opportunities for misunderstandings by politicians, the media, and the general public about the health of these programs. This year is no exception.

A case in point is the response by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, to the Social Security ...Read more

Imago/Imago via ZUMA Press/TNS

Boeing 'ready to listen' as world waits to hear Air India crash cause

Business / Business News /

Le BOURGET, France — Boeing kept a low profile at this year's Paris Air Show, an industry event where aerospace giants gather to discuss, showcase and strategize the future of flying.

But the airplane manufacturer was still top of mind. A 787 crash that left hundreds dead just days before the trade show was a solemn reminder of safety's ...Read more

JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tesla to launch robotaxi service as Detroit moves on

Business / Business News /

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk says the electric vehicle maker tentatively plans this weekend to launch its robotaxi service — a business Detroit basically abandoned.

Proving the ability of its vehicles to become driverless cabs is critical to Tesla's high-valuation future, according to experts, as its automotive business faces challenges from ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records

Business / Business News /

The union representing workers at a University of California-Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab's operations be released to the public.

Workers in the lab's small biotechnology department had raised concerns ...Read more

GM/GM/TNS

Auto review: 2025 Cadillac Optiq is the optimal luxury electric SUV

Business / Business News /

There’s a perception that everything is bigger in America, and it's hard to dispute. Generous proportions have always been an American automotive hallmark. Large size is certainly embedded in Cadillac’s DNA, and that's how its devotees like it — mostly. There are those abhor massiveness yet still desire the luxury, options and agility that...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Upstart prediction market leader has invaded sports betting. Here's why it matters to Nevada

Business / Business News /

Nevada’s gaming companies have invested millions of dollars in their sportsbooks since casinos took their first sports wagers in 1949.

Betting on sports and racing is widely viewed in the industry today as a means of getting customers through the doors to bet on other games of chance that are more profitable to casinos than sports bets or to ...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Massive Nissan Armada trades fire with Detroit mega-utes

Business / Business News /

FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan — Where Titan failed, the Armada might break through.

Nissan has sent big truck-based warriors with fierce names into battle against Detroit’s formidable armies of full-size pickups and mega-utes. The Titan pickup finally waved the red flag after bashing its brains in against endless waves of Detroit 1500, 2500, ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Driverless disruption: Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories

Business / Business News /

As three key players vie for dominance, the race to put driverless taxis on roads across the country is heating up.

Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon's robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, opened a new production facility in ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

EV owners don't pay gas taxes. In Minnesota next year, they'll pay double or more to register their cars

Business / Business News /

Starting next year, Minnesota electric vehicle owners will have to pay at least double to register their EVs. Blame the change on their freedom from gas taxes.

A provision in the transportation bill that passed earlier this month raises the EV registration surcharge from $75 to at least $150. Drivers of plug-in-hybrids will also have to pay a ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2025 Lexus RX has the prescription that consumers deserve

Business / Business News /

In 2025, the wide array of SUVs on the market is astounding. Every manufacturer has a compact, a mid-size and a large SUV in on the market. Sometimes it seems that SUVs are all you see on the roads anymore.

In Grasso’s Garage, our passion for luxury SUVs is no secret, but they must include good pricing, quality, comfort and storage, not to ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Krispy Kreme begins notifying over 160,000 people affected by data breach

Business / Business News /

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Krispy Kreme has begun notifying over 160,000 people affected by a data breach last fall.

The doughnut giant is notifying people affected by the breach in November after completing a data review and investigation, Krispy Kreme said in a statement Thursday to The Charlotte Observer.

“We are notifying affected ...Read more