Business

/

ArcaMax

Alex Grichenko/Dreamstime/TNS

Before you go under the knife, this San Diego startup wants you to know what it'll cost

Business / Business News /

It’s easy to lose track of time playing “guess how much a C-section costs.” And women undergoing the procedure won’t have an answer until after the baby is delivered.

Turquoise Health, a San Diego health tech company, saw that problem and plastered sonograms across billboards and bus stops, accompanied by the phrase, “the biggest ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

China's Meta backlash renders Manus Model 'officially dead'

Business / Business News /

The AI startup Manus, once hailed as a breakthrough that would challenge Silicon Valley’s dominance, is turning into a cautionary tale for Chinese entrepreneurs after Beijing authorities ordered Meta Platforms Inc. to unwind its $2 billion takeover of the company.

With a chilling 54-character decree from the top state planner, Beijing ...Read more

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America/TNS

Starbucks' quarterly profits surge, marking milestone in revival plan

Business / Business News /

A year and a half into a promised turnaround, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol had some good news for investors on Tuesday. The Seattle-based coffee giant’s quarterly results beat estimates for profits and revenues.

In its second quarter, Starbucks posted sales of $9.5 billion, up nearly 9% from a year ago, while profits, which ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

This Bay Area cafe is open 24 hours. Owners want you to buy AI insurance

Business / Business News /

SAN FRANCISCO — At first glance, the coffee shop at the southwestern corner of this city’s Financial District stands out only because it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a neighborhood known for going quiet at night.

Inside, however, those stopping by the Corgi Cafe may soon realize it is no ordinary latte vendor, but rather a ...Read more

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Can computers be godlike? ChatGPT weighs in

Business / Business News /

Faith leaders are increasingly asking AI for help in writing sermons and other areas of their work, but most agree that doing so raises questions. If divinity exists, for example, is machine intelligence capable of perceiving it? Is it equipped to handle moral questions? What theological framework does it possess, and does consulting it on ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Darri Eythorsson: I built an AI trading platform in 6 days. That's terrifying

Business / Business News /

A few weeks ago, I sat down at my laptop and built a trading platform. It connects to three financial exchanges. It ingests news from RSS feeds, web searches, Reddit and Twitter. It uses a large language model to analyze markets, estimate probabilities and decide when the price is wrong. It sizes positions using the Kelly criterion. It manages ...Read more

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America/TNS

Disney Cruise Line strikes groundbreaking agreement with San Diego that will deliver 1M passengers

Business / Business News /

In a major boon for San Diego County’s still rebounding cruise industry, Disney Cruise Line has inked a lucrative deal with the Port of San Diego that promises to deliver more than 1 million passengers over the next four years.

While Disney has been sailing out of San Diego since 2012, this latest agreement represents a huge commitment on the...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Dingell, Democrats urge Trump to keep Chinese autos out of US market

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — Ahead of a key U.S.-China meeting, several efforts are brewing on Capitol Hill to urge President Donald Trump to bar Chinese automakers from accessing the U.S. market.

One of those efforts, led by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, entered the public eye Tuesday as she announced a letter from 73 House Democrats on the topic some two weeks...Read more

PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images North America/TNS

Costco offers new option for its $1.50 hot dog combo

Business / Business News /

The internet is blowing up over the first change to Costco’s $1.50 hot dog combo in 40 years. But don’t worry — the Issaquah, Washington-based big-box store isn’t budging on the price.

Shoppers who need respite from the chaos of the Costco checkout area can now opt for a 16.9-ounce bottle of Kirkland Signature water instead of a ...Read more

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Why all eyes are on AI spending at Microsoft and Amazon

Business / Business News /

Wednesday will be a busy day on Wall Street.

Just after the closing bell at 1 p.m. Pacific Time, four tech industry titans — Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Google parent Alphabet — will report financial results for the first three months of the year. Though the companies each have different sets of revenue sources, sales growth among the cloud...Read more

Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/TNS

T-Mobile ties up with Musk's Starlink for new business broadband

Business / Business News /

T-Mobile is teaming up with controversial billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink to launch a new business broadband network.

Dubbed SuperBroadband, the business internet option pairs T-Mobile's 5G Advanced network with Starlink, lauded as having "the world’s largest low-Earth orbit satellite fleet," per a news release Tuesday.

The partnership ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Paramount wants FCC to approve increased foreign ownership in Warner Bros. Discovery deal

Business / Business News /

Paramount Skydance has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to exceed foreign ownership rules for U.S. media companies to pave the way for its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

David Ellison's media company is expecting to receive $24 billion from three Middle Eastern royal families, who would become part owners of the ...Read more

Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Michael Hiltzik: A crypto mogul's lawsuit against a Trump-linked crypto firm shows the peril of investing with Trump

Business / Business News /

Here are a couple of rules for anyone thinking of investing in cryptocurrencies, courtesy of one of the biggest crypto tycoons on the planet:

First, don't believe what crypto firms tell you about the security of your investments.

Second: Be wary — very wary — of investing with a crypto firm associated with the Trump family.

These warnings...Read more

Cadet Jenna D'Orazio/National Gu/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

California drone maker to spend billions of dollars as it expands manufacturing in the state

Business / Business News /

A Californian drone manufacturer plans to pour billions of dollars into the defense technology industry, which is booming in the state.

The San Mateo-based company, Skydio, will invest $3.5 billion in domestic manufacturing over the next five years, the company announced Friday.

Defense technology operations, along with aerospace and ...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Stellantis employees raise health concerns after 5-day office return

Business / Business News /

Michigan health and safety regulators inspected Stellantis NV's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, earlier this year after getting a report that "dozens" of employees in the tower part of the building were suffering from various ailments after returning to the office, records show.

Reported health issues included nose bleeds, migraines, ...Read more

Kayman Whaley, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

GM cites expected tariff refunds for improved profit outlook

Business / Business News /

General Motors Co. expects about $500 million in refunds for import taxes paid last year because of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike a pillar of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policies.

The Detroit automaker reported its projected refund Tuesday along with its profits from the first three months of the year.

The automaker'...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Chevy Bolt 2.0 reflects a new auto landscape with new battery tech

Business / Business News /

WESTLAKE, California — The electric Chevrolet Bolt was born in 2016 with high expectations, put out to pasture in 2023, and given a second chance for the 2027 model year.

Its rebirth is a microcosm of Detroit electric vehicle learnings over the last 10 years. From its new battery to its new charging port, hands-free driving system and new ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

California maker of electric RVs boosting Colorado facility, production

Business / Business News /

Lightship, a startup that makes futuristic-looking electric recreational vehicles, is more than doubling its manufacturing space in Broomfield and expects to more than quadruple its production capacity.

Lightship, founded in 2020, started commercial production of its all-electric travel trailer in 2025. The company is expanding its ...Read more

Jin Liwang/Xinhua/ZUMA Press/TNS

China races to build record biobank to rival US drugs research

Business / Business News /

As a fledgling researcher in U.S., Zhang Li was struck by the efficiency of extracting human tissue in the morning and mining it for data the same afternoon.

Such a streamlined process had been missing from his years of training as a bio data scientist in China. Inspired, he returned home to Beijing to join the Chinese Institute for Brain ...Read more

Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

UnitedHealthcare's mission control targets customer woes to build its brand

Business / Business News /

Mike Baker often calls up a dashboard on his computer and sees nothing but green gauges: No big customer service problems evident.

Then the chief operating officer walks down the hall at UnitedHealthcare’s Minnetonka, Minnesota, headquarters and finds all sorts of red: trouble spots highlighted on a wall of screens wider than two cars and ...Read more