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Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz calls Seattle 'hostile' to business

Business / Business News /

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has taken a jab at Seattle’s mayor and its business climate for what he called “hostile” and “socialist rhetoric.”

Schultz, still Starbucks chairman emeritus, spent decades in Seattle building the coffee company into a global empire. But two months after departing his longtime Seattle home for Miami...Read more

Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Under Armour reports losses as turnaround effort continues

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Baltimore-based Under Armour reported another year of declining sales Tuesday as the athletic apparel company continued a sweeping restructuring effort under founder and CEO Kevin Plank aimed at stabilizing the business and repositioning the brand around premium products and performance innovation.

The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of...Read more

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Michael Hiltzik: Those $1,000 Trump accounts don't match the hype

Business / Business News /

Here's a riddle for you: A conservative Republican senator, a top economic advisor to the Trump White House and a venture capitalist walk into a conference room at a financial conference and claim a new government program will be a boon for all American families.

Question: Do you think these people are looking out for your interests?

If you ...Read more

Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times/TNS

Boeing delivered 47 airplanes in April, keeping pace with March

Business / Business News /

Boeing delivered 47 airplanes in April, including 34 737 Maxes built in Renton, Washington, and six 787 Dreamliners built in South Carolina.

Boeing’s delivery total is nearly the same as its delivery rate in March, when it shipped 46 airplanes, but slightly lower than February, when it delivered 51 planes.

Year over year, Boeing’s April ...Read more

David Tonelson/Dreamstime.com/TNS

California consumers accuse popular Italian food brand of tomato fraud

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A popular U.S. food distributor has long promised premium, Italian tomatoes in its products. Two Californians claim the company is committing tomato fraud.

A lawsuit filed this month alleges that Cento Fine Foods, a U.S.-based Italian food distributor, falsely labels its products as containing San Marzano tomatoes.

The tomatoes in question are...Read more

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Netflix touts $325 billion economic impact and 425,000 jobs created by its productions worldwide

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On the eve of its upfront presentation to the advertising industry, streaming giant Netflix is touting the economic results of its film and television show productions.

The Los Gatos, California, company's programming has created more than 425,000 total jobs and contributed more than $325 billion to the global economy, Netflix said in a new ...Read more

Alie Skowronski/Miami Herald/TNS

How Spirit's collapse changed the economy -- and lives. 'Back to ramen noodles'

Business / Business News /

Like much of the world, Donald “Dean” Zoellers learned of Spirit Airlines’ demise on the morning of May 2.

He was hit hard, certainly more than travelers who loved the Broward-based carrier’s low prices or bright yellow planes. The 63-year-old grandfather of seven worked as a maintenance controller, managing airline maintenance ...Read more

Greg Gilbert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Funko accused of collecting user data without permission

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A new lawsuit accuses Funko, the Everett, Washington-based pop culture collectibles brand, of collecting and selling users’ data without permission.

Funko sells officially licensed collectibles, apparel, accessories and other merchandise related to popular franchises, including Star Wars, Disney and Marvel. The company is most known for its ...Read more

JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Oversight chair seeks information from OpenAI's Sam Altman about potential financial conflicts

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — The chair of the House Oversight Committee has sent a letter to OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman requesting information about potential conflicts of interest between Altman’s personal investments and his operation of the company.

The letter, sent Friday, comes amid a high-stakes legal battle currently playing out in an ...Read more

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Entertainment mogul Byron Allen to acquire Buzzfeed, HuffPost

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Digital entertainment company BuzzFeed Inc. is selling its majority stake to Los Angeles entertainment mogul Byron Allen for $120 million.

BuzzFeed announced the sale late Monday, saying Allen Family Digital had agreed to pay $3 apiece for 40 million shares, representing a 52% stake in the company.

Allen will pay $20 million in cash up front, ...Read more

M. Scott Brauer/ZUMA Press/TNS

FAA approves Boeing's fix to return the MD-11 to service

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The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing’s proposed solution to bring its MD-11 planes back to the sky.

The FAA grounded the MD-11 and its predecessor the DC-10 after a deadly UPS crash in November, which saw an engine break free from the cargo plane’s wing. The crash killed three UPS crew members on board and 12 others on ...Read more

Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times/TNS

Starbucks lays off 61 tech workers in Seattle

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Starbucks will shrink its tech presence in Seattle with the layoffs of 61 corporate workers, according to a state filing.

The layoffs are a result of a reorganization in the technology department at the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle, per a worker adjustment and retraining notification filed Thursday.

Starbucks declined to comment Monday....Read more

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Trump takes aim at beef, fuel prices as inflation risks mount

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President Donald Trump has mounted a new push to tackle affordability, taking aim at beef and gasoline amid surging consumer prices that may threaten his party’s hold on Congress.

Trump was poised to sign executive orders Monday intended to reduce beef prices, a White House official said, while he also voiced support for a gasoline-tax ...Read more

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US colleges report 20% drop in foreign students over visa clampdown

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The number of new foreign undergraduate students at U.S. colleges dropped by an average of 20% this spring from a year earlier, according to a study by a coalition of education groups, the latest sign that President Donald Trump’s standoff with higher education is hammering a key source of talent and funding.

The findings, published in a ...Read more

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Musk, Cook expected to join Trump for Xi summit in China

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The White House is inviting Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk, Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook, Boeing Co.’s Kelly Ortberg and executives from other large companies to accompany President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, according to an official.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s David Solomon, Blackstone Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock Inc.’...Read more

Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/TNS

California county sues Meta, alleging it made billions from scam ads as Californians lost billions

Business / Business News /

Santa Clara County sued Meta on Monday, accusing the tech giant of turning scam advertisements on Facebook and Instagram into a multibillion-dollar revenue stream while Californians lost billions to online fraud.

The lawsuit alleges Meta knowingly allowed fraudulent ads to remain on its platforms, charged higher prices for some flagged ads and ...Read more

Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register/TNS

Amazon stops its sales of high-speed e-bikes in California

Business / Business News /

Amazon has halted California sales of e-bikes that don’t adhere to state law following a number of fatal collisions involving those or somewhat-similar vehicles and a consumer alert by the state’s attorney general last month.

The company’s decision comes after the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in recent months filed charges ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

New email phishing scam targets victims with bogus event invitations

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is warning residents about a new email scam involving fake digital event invitations.

The scam targets recipients from compromised accounts belonging to friends or acquaintances, according to a press release from Sunday’s office.

The emails include invites to events like a conference or birthday ...Read more

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Los Angeles port traffic rises in April despite trade disruption, higher fuel costs

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The Port of Los Angeles recorded its second busiest April on record, despite the war in Iran, a related rise in shipping fuel costs and continued trade uncertainty.

The port processed more than 890,00 container units last month, 5.7% higher than a year ago. That was driven by a strong growth in imports, which totaled about 460,000 20-foot ...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Spirit collapse risks rating tied to NJ's Atlantic City Airport

Business / Business News /

The South Jersey Transportation Authority, which operates Atlantic City International Airport, is at risk of a credit downgrade after the collapse of Spirit Airlines sharply reduced traffic at the airport.

Fitch Ratings on Monday said it had placed the authority’s senior and subordinate transportation system revenue bonds on Rating Watch ...Read more