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Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

UAW president hires criminal defense team amid federal grand jury probe

Business / Business News /

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who is being investigated by a federal grand jury, has hired two former federal prosecutors who specialize in fraud and bribery cases and work as defense lawyers for a Washington, D.C., firm with a stable of high-profile clients, including trillionaire Elon Musk and former New York City Mayor Eric Adams....Read more

David Becker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Farmers win right to repair their own John Deere tractors, but more reform sought

Business / Business News /

Minnesota and four other states joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in settling a high-profile lawsuit against Deere & Company, with a stipulation that the company make it easier for farmers to repair their own iconic green John Deere tractors.

For years, farmers have felt frustrated that John Deere withholds resources such as diagnostic ...Read more

Jabin Botsford/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California lawmakers cry foul over new cap placed on film tax credits

Business / Business News /

More than three dozen California legislators are calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to exempt the state’s film and TV production incentive program from a recently approved cap on corporate tax credits, warning that without action it will be “significantly kneecapped.”

Though the state’s budget has already been approved, the legislators say a...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Stellantis vehicle shipments surging in North America

Business / Business News /

Stellantis NV said Monday its second-quarter estimated vehicle shipments in North America increased 38% compared to a year ago, largely thanks to new and refreshed models such as the Ram 1500 Hemi V-8, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Pacifica.

The North American surge helped Stellantis globally record a 10% rise in shipments despite challenges...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

Michael Hiltzik: While Trump declares that US is enjoying 'best economy ever,' manufacturing jobs have been disappearing

Business / Business News /

Based on the words of President Trump, America is well on the way to becoming a "global superpower in manufacturing" — indeed, as he declared in a Father's Day social media post, we are already experiencing the "BEST ECONOMY EVER." (Capitalization's his.)

Here's what the government's own statistics tell us: Manufacturing investment has ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Apple's lawsuit threatens to disrupt OpenAI's bid to rival the iPhone

Business / Business News /

Apple Inc.’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of systematically stealing its intellectual property threatens to disrupt the AI company’s device ambitions long before the case is resolved.

In the suit, filed last week, the iPhone maker alleges that OpenAI asked former Apple employees — and even prospective recruits — to bring information about ...Read more

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Legendary Television City may be be sold in further blow to Hollywood

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — Television City, one of the most famous studios in the entertainment industry where generations of TV shows have been created, is expected to hit the market again as its owner grapples with debt.

It's the latest sign of distress in Hollywood as the film and TV industry struggles from a sharp falloff in production activity across...Read more

Allison Dinner/Getty Images North America/TNS

Is buying a home still the way to wealth? Some young Americans aren't sure

Business / Business News /

The fast-rising costs of owning a home have some young Americans questioning whether buying a house is still a good investment.

Take Tony Zhang, 34, who bought a $950,000 townhouse in Irvine, California, in 2021 and says he now regrets it. The supply-chain manager says investing his down payment of roughly 30% in the stock market instead would...Read more

Ivy Ceballo/The Seattle Times/TNS

Seattle couple making $173K unsure having children is financially doable

Business / Business News /

SEATTLE Jorge Aranda and Mattie Gottbrath are at a crossroads. The couple want to have children one day, but to do so they may have to leave the city they love.

“We constantly ask ourselves whether we can live in Seattle long term, let alone with a kid,” said Aranda, 29.

The couple moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Seattle in early 2023, ...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

States sue to block Paramount's $111 billion Warner Bros. takeover

Business / Business News /

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday to block Paramount Skydance’s proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery — a last-ditch effort to derail a deal that would transform Hollywood.

Tech scion David Ellison’s proposed merger has been hurtling toward the ...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

FAA extends flight caps at O'Hare airport for a year

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The federal government will limit flights out of O’Hare International Airport through Oct. 30, 2027, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

The FAA had already ordered airlines to cut flights at the busy airport through late October of this year, citing planned schedules that would stretch O’Hare to its limits. Now, the federal ...Read more

Marco Bertorello/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Apple sues OpenAI for trade secret theft in blockbuster case

Business / Business News /

Apple Inc. sued OpenAI for trade secret theft, accusing the artificial intelligence startup and its hardware chief of engaging in a coordinated campaign to steal information about upcoming products.

The iPhone maker said in a suit Friday that OpenAI encouraged Apple employees to share information, components, drawings and other materials ...Read more

SK Hynix CEO expects memory crunch to last into next decade

Business / Business News /

The memory-chip shortages that are roiling the computer, car and device markets will probably persist beyond 2030, according to SK Hynix Inc. Chief Executive Officer Kwak Noh-Jung.

Customers are signing long-term contracts because “they believe that the shortage situation will last for longer,” Kwak said in his first-ever English language ...Read more

Lionel Bonaventure/Getty Images North America/TNS

Newspaper groups seek 'serious sanctions' against OpenAI as deception alleged in copyright lawsuit

Business / Business News /

The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune and other media outlets are asking for “serious sanctions” against OpenAI, saying the company destroyed evidence and intentionally hid its ability to locate stolen news stories in training data and responses to ChatGPT users, according to court papers filed Thursday.

The ...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Here are the top 10 longest-lasting trucks, according to one study

Business / Business News /

The Ram 3500 heavy duty is the longest-lasting pickup followed by the Toyota Tundra, according to an iSeeCars analysis that compared how likely a vehicle is to reach 250,000 miles.

Excluding heavy-duty vehicles, the Tundra also ranked first among passenger models for longevity.

"Heavy duties always have longer life because they're used as ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Environmental group bashes automakers for EV pullback in new ads

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — A prominent environmental group is launching an ad campaign faulting Michigan automakers for consumer struggles with high gas prices.

“We need to put the blame for this unaffordable economy where it belongs. Automakers have the technology that could help America break the cycle of oil price shocks,” said Dan Becker, director ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Los Angeles hotels saved by last-minute surge in World Cup bookings

Business / Business News /

After showing worryingly weak early interest, World Cup fans showed up at the last minute to boost Los Angeles hotel occupancy and room rates.

Ahead of the last tournament game in Los Angeles is on Friday, hotels popular with soccer fans said they were full and charging higher rates.

In early May, the American Hotel and Lodging Assn. reported ...Read more

Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times/TNS

Tennessee expects major payoff from Starbucks' Nashville office

Business / Business News /

Just months after Starbucks announced plans for a 2,000-person office in Nashville, Tennessee, the city is already feeling the coffee giant's economic presence.

Real estate experts warned last month that Starbucks’ lease of an entire downtown Nashville building — the city's largest office lease since 2021 — will largely deplete the local ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Jared Kushner-linked apartment firm must pay over $4 million, judge rules

Business / Business News /

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore judge has ordered Westminster Management, the property management arm of Kushner Companies, to pay more than $4.17 million to thousands of Maryland tenants after finding the company illegally charged excessive late-payment and court-related fees for years.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, Baltimore City Circuit Judge Paul J...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan

Business / Business News /

WARREN, Michigan — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV's cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.

Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal ...Read more