Business

/

ArcaMax

Trump says tech giants must bear cost of data center electricity

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump, addressing American voter concerns about rising electricity prices, said his administration had been in talks with Microsoft to ensure that consumers “don’t pick up the tab” for enormous data centers.

In a Truth Social post, he added that while the data centers “are key” to the artificial intelligence boom, the...Read more

Aliya Schneider/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Meta hires Trump ally Powell McCormick to drive AI buildout

Business / Business News /

Meta Platforms Inc. has appointed a former top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump to a newly created senior management role focused on partnering with governments and investors on AI.

Dina Powell McCormick, a former Goldman Sachs executive, is joining the company this week as president and vice chairman. She’s part of a new team of ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Moderna chair says US assault on science is just beginning

Business / Business News /

Moderna Inc.’s chairman says the Trump administration’s vaccine policy changes are part of a broader attack on science that may have only just begun.

“Today it may be childhood vaccines or mRNA, but tomorrow it’s everything,” Noubar Afeyan said in an interview Monday on the sidelines of the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Illinois extends Affordable Care Act open enrollment, as fate of subsidies remains uncertain

Business / Business News /

Illinois is giving residents more time to shop for health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange, as Congress continues to tussle over whether to extend subsidies that reduce the cost of coverage.

Illinois will now give residents until Jan. 31 to choose health insurance plans on the state’s new Affordable Care Act exchange, ...Read more

Rose Baca/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

The rise and fall of the Sprinkles empire that made cupcakes cool

Business / Business News /

After the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s, Candace Nelson reevaluated her career. She had just been laid off from a boutique investment banking firm in San Francisco's tech startup scene, and realized she wanted a change.

From her home, she launched a custom cake service that soon morphed into an idea for a cupcake-focused bakery. ...Read more

HODELETE60/Getty Images North America/TNS

VW calls out Trump trade 'violation' as autos continue USMCA pleas

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — Automaker Volkswagen AG said in a public filing last week that President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian automotive goods violate binding trade agreements he approved during his first term.

The German company made the claim in a comment submitted Wednesday to Trump's U.S. Trade Representative office, which was ...Read more

Mattel/Mattel/TNS

Mattel introduces its first Barbie with autism, headphones on and fidget spinner in hand

Business / Business News /

Mattel is releasing its first autistic Barbie doll.

Created in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the toy launched Monday is meant to represent children with autism spectrum disorder and how they experience the world.

The doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas line, which features more than 175 looks across various skin ...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

GM nods to its heritage as it begins future at new Hudson's Detroit HQ

Business / Business News /

DETROIT — General Motors Co. leveraged the automaker's more than 120-year heritage and its success during Detroit's Golden Age to design the company's new global headquarters at the Hudson's Detroit complex downtown that opened Monday.

Nods to GM's past are hidden throughout the company's roughly 200,000-square-foot space: fabric from the ...Read more

Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

UnitedHealth used 'aggressive' Medicare strategy, Senate report says

Business / Business News /

UnitedHealth Group Inc. used “aggressive strategies” to maximize diagnoses and boost payments for patients on private Medicare health plans, a new Senate report found, adding to pressure on the largest US health insurer.

The health-care conglomerate has a “robust” workforce — augmented by artificial intelligence — to capture ...Read more

Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Allegiant Air to merge with Sun Country Airlines in

Business / Business News /

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air is merging with Sun Country Airlines and will form one of the largest leisure-based commercial air carriers in the country and will be headquartered in Las Vegas.

The merger agreement, approved by the boards of directors of both companies, will need shareholder approvals and clearance from federal authorities ...Read more

Jerome Adamstein/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Newsom's budget includes $200M to make up for Trump's canceled EV rebates, among other climate items

Business / Business News /

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday doubled down on California’s commitment to electric vehicles with proposed rebates intended to backfill federal tax credits canceled by the Trump administration.

The plan would allocate $200 million in one-time special funds for a new point-of-sale incentive program for light-duty zero-emissions vehicles. It was ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Abandoned shops and missing customers: Fire-scarred businesses are still stuck in the aftermath

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — The charred remains of the historic Pacific Palisades Business Block cast a shadow over a once-bustling shopping district along West Sunset Boulevard.

Empty lots littered with debris and ash line the street where houses and small businesses once stood. A year since the Palisades fire roared through the neighborhood, only a ...Read more

Frank Wiese/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

New Jersey's Petty's Island, now owned by Venezuela's Citgo, will soon belong to major conservative donor's firm

Business / Business News /

New Jersey has long coveted Petty’s Island, 300 acres in the Delaware River off Pennsauken, as a potential environmental and recreational haven with its grand views of Philadelphia.

Originally the hunting grounds of Native Americans, the island was later farmed by Quakers. Folklore claims pirate landings and an overnight stay by Ben Franklin....Read more

Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Harassment toward Somali businesses surges after viral video

Business / Business News /

Minnesota businesses are facing a wave of harassment and threats following a politically charged YouTube video accusing Somali-owned day care providers of defrauding the state, fallout that advocates say has intensified amid a broader immigration crackdown.

“Places that never had any type of media attention or were never connected to any type...Read more

Vincent Feuray/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Elon Musk's Grok bot restricts sexual image generation after global outcry

Business / Business News /

Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on Thursday started restricting the ability for non-paying users to create deepfake, sexualized images after global pushback from users and governments.

Late last month, some users began tagging Grok on Musk's social media platform X with prompts such as "put her in a bikini" to generate nonconsensual images of real ...Read more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

Lutnick met homebuilders as Trump dials up affordability push

Business / Business News /

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently met with executives from major homebuilding companies, according to people familiar with the matter, part of President Donald Trump’s push to bolster his standing with voters on the economy.

The administration has held meetings in recent weeks aimed at sounding out the builders on ways to improve ...Read more

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

Jeep and Chrysler kill plug-in hybrid models for 2026

Business / Business News /

Jeep and Chrysler will stop making their plug-in hybrid models as Stellantis NV turns its focus to other hybrid powertrains, the automaker confirmed Friday.

"With customer demand shifting, Stellantis will phase out plug‑in hybrid (PHEV) programs in North America beginning with the 2026 model year, and focus on more competitive electrified ...Read more

US payrolls rise a below-forecast 50,000, unemployment lower

Business / Business News /

US employers added fewer jobs than expected in December, capping a yearlong slowdown in the labor market defined by cautious hiring and limited layoffs.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 50,000 last month after downward revisions to the prior two months, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Friday. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.4%,...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: Jeep Grand Cherokee serves all types of consumers

Business / Business News /

As Jeep enters Grasso’s Garage, it is always a mystery what parent company Stellantis is cooking up in the background. This week, it is the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep’s five-passenger, well-known SUV. Fit for many and designed to accommodate all types of consumers, the Grand Cherokee is ready to hit the pavement with a fresh look.

Packed ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: At light speed in the Lucid Gravity -- call it CyberVan

Business / Business News /

TROY, Michigan — Mrs. Payne and I recently enjoyed “Tron: Ares,” an action-packed sci-fi movie featuring lightning-quick light bikes and glowing digital displays.

Then we climbed into our own Tron-mobile.

As I approached the 2025 Lucid Gravity SUV tester with key in pocket, the electric SUV awoke. Door handles popped out to meet us and ...Read more