AP National Business

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As COVID-19 ravaged New York City, virus-wary denizens locked out of indoor public places poured into the streets, sidewalks and parks. They dined with friends in outdoor sheds hastily erected by restaurants, and went to health classes, concerts and even therapy sessions on streets closed

ELAINE GANLEY Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Tens of thousands of people were marching in cities across Europe for May Day protests to honor workers and shame governments into doing more for their citizens. The holiday in France was being used to urge newly reelected President Emmanuel Macron to do more to help families struggling

BEIJING (AP) — Two people have been rescued from the rubble of a building in central China more than 50 hours after it collapsed. Dozens remain trapped or missing since the building collapsed Friday afternoon in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. Seven people have been pulled out alive. The most recent were a woman

By VANESSA GERA, NICOLE WINFIELD and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A top-level U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the “ferocity” and resolve of Ukrainians face to face with their leader in a weekend visit to Kyiv undertaken in extraordinary secrecy. Pelosi, second in line to the presidency

By CHISATO TANAKA Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Elena Trofimchuk fled Ukraine to Romania more than a month ago. She now sees Bucharest’s North Railway Station as a second home. She doesn’t live there, but it’s where she spends most of her day welcoming fellow Ukrainian refugees escaping from Russia’s war and helping them

By CARA ANNA and YESICA FISCH Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — A long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was under way Sunday, as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that she visited Ukraine’s president to show unflinching American support for the country’s defense against Russia’s

By ASHRAF SWEILAM Associated Press EL ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian security officials say suspected Islamic State militants blew up a natural gas pipeline Saturday in Egypt’s restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, causing a fire but no casualties. They say the suspected militants planted explosives under a pipeline in the town of Bir

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Current and former Delaware politicians, family and friends of Pierre S. “Pete” du Pont IV have gathered to remember the late governor, U.S. House member and presidential candidate nearly a year after his death. Friday’s memorial service at a Wilmington theater had been delayed due to COVID-19 safety concerns. The Republican

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Prices for Russian credit default swaps — insurance contracts that protect an investor against a default — plunged sharply overnight after Moscow used its precious foreign currency reserves to make a last minute debt payment on Friday. The cost for a five-year credit default swap

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say the problem of foul-smelling seaweed-like algae on the country’s Caribbean coast beaches is “alarming.” The arrival of heaps of brown sargassum on the coast’s normally pristine white beaches comes just as tourism is recovering to pre-pandemic levels, though job recovery in the country’s

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A massive drought-starved reservoir on the Colorado River has become so depleted that Las Vegas now is pumping water from deeper within Lake Mead where other states downstream don’t have access. The Southern Nevada Water Authority announced this week that its Low Lake Level Pumping Station is operational, and released photos

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ Associated Press TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — A plan to create special self-governing zones for foreign investors in Honduras has been thrown into limbo because the new government has repealed a law many criticized as surrendering sovereignty. The zones were inspired by libertarian thinkers as a way to draw investment to the impoverished

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities have seized $725 million from Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi, accusing it of breaking the country’s foreign exchange laws by making illegal remittances abroad. India’s financial investigation agency tweeted that it had seized the amount from Xiaomi’s local unit. The move comes after an investigation was launched in February over

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett gave Berkshire Hathaway investors a few details Saturday about how he spent more than $50 billion earlier this year and again reassured them that the company he built will endure long after the 91-year-old billionaire is gone. Tens of thousands of investors packed

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is turning to a Cold War-era law to boost production of lithium and other minerals used to power electric vehicles, but experts say the move by itself is unlikely to ensure the robust domestic mining Biden seeks as he promotes cleaner energy sources. Biden’s

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press QAnon loyalists, COVID deniers, neo-Nazis and a former American president: The list of people banned from Twitter is long, but their exile could soon come to an end if Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer for the platform is approved. Musk, the world’s richest man and the owner of SpaceX and

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — After Truitt Pace admitted to law enforcement that he beat and shot his wife, her family expected a swift conviction. The 34-year-old mother of three’s tiny frame was so bruised and traumatized that the funeral home suggested a closed casket. But as months went

BEIJING (AP) — China’s manufacturing activity fell to a six-month low in April as lockdowns continued in Shanghai and other manufacturing hubs in an attempt to stem COVID-19 outbreaks. The monthly purchasing managers’ index, released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, fell to 47.4 in April, down from 49.5 in March on a 100-point scale.

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and YESICA FISCH Associated Press KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces fought village by village Saturday to hold back a Russian advance through the country’s east, while the United Nations worked to broker a civilian evacuation from the last defensive stronghold in the bombed-out ruins of the port city of Mariupol. An

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — When Rep. Abigail Spanberger first introduced a bill banning stock trading by members of Congress and their families, the Virginia Democrat managed to get only eight co-sponsors. So far this session, 62 — or about one out of every seven House members — have signed on. It’s

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack an Omaha arena Saturday for Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting. Most attending the company’s first in-person meeting since the pandemic want to be there just for the chance to hear from the 91-year-old Buffett and

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is raising the possibility that the state’s last nuclear power plant might continue operating beyond a planned closing by 2025. California is facing possible electricity shortages, and the Democratic governor says keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant running could help

By KEN SWEET and FATIMA HUSSEIN The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Russia has staved off a default on its debt by making a last-minute payment using its precious dollar reserves sitting outside the country. That’s according to U.S. Treasury officials. The Russian Finance Ministry said Friday it made the payments at a London

The Associated Press More steep losses for technology stocks pushed major indexes lower on Friday, leaving them with steep losses for April. The S&P 500 notched its worst month since the beginning of the pandemic and the Nasdaq had its biggest monthly loss since 2008. Amazon slumped after the internet giant posted its first loss

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Amazon, AbbVie fall, Mohawk Industries, Honeywell rise.

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery fell 67 cents to $104.69 a barrel Friday. Brent crude for June delivery rose $1.75 to $109.34 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for May delivery fell 3 cents to $3.47 a gallon. May heating oil fell 36 cents to $4.78 a gallon. June natural gas rose

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors say a Los Angeles funeral home owner illegally left the remains of 11 people, including infants, in stages of decay and mummification. He faces more than a decade in jail. Authorities opened an investigation into the Mark B. Allen Mortuary and Cremations Services, Inc., after

DENVER (AP) — A jury has awarded nearly $9 million to three families who accused a Colorado fertility doctor of using his own sperm to inseminate three mothers who requested anonymous donors. The jury reached its decision late Wednesday, finding Dr. Paul B. Jones liable along with his clinic, Women’s Health Care of Western Colorado.

ELOY, Ariz. (AP) — The pilot in charge during a forbidden Red Bull plane-swapping stunt is taking full responsibility for the ensuing crash over the Arizona desert. Luke Aikins admitted in a post on his Instagram Friday he disregarded a denial from the Federal Aviation Administration two days before Sunday’s mid-air crash. Aikins and another

MONTREAL (AP) — American pharmaceutical company Moderna says it will build a vaccine factory in Montreal, its first outside of the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Trudeau said Friday that the factory will be operational as soon as 2024. He says it will employ up to 300 people and able to produce 100

By SALLY HO and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press For family law attorney Robin Frank, defending parents at one of their lowest points — when they risk losing their children — has never been easy. The job is never easy, but in the past she knew what she was up against when squaring off against child

By SALLY HO and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press Inside a cavernous stone fortress in downtown Pittsburgh, attorney Robin Frank defends parents at one of their lowest points – when they risk losing their children. The job is never easy, but in the past she knew what she was up against when squaring off against child

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Fair housing advocates have announced a settlement to resolve a lawsuit against real estate brokerage Redfin that will expand housing opportunities for consumers in communities of color. Under the agreement announced Friday, Seattle-based Redfin will change its minimum housing price policy, alter other practices, and pay $4 million to

By The Associated Press A shipment of honeybees bound from California to Alaska died after an airline re-routed them through Atlanta, then left them to sit on the tarmac during hot weather. Delta Air Lines said Friday it is making changes to prevent a repeat of what happened last weekend. About 5 million honeybees were

By DAVID PITT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Colorado prison inmate has become the first person in the U.S. to test positive for bird flu in a recent outbreak that has led to the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys, but federal officials say they still see little threat to the

BANGKOK (AP) — Petronas, Malaysia’s state-owned oil and gas company, has announced it is withdrawing from Myanmar’s offshore Yetagun natural gas project, The company, through two subsidiaries, has held a 40.9% participating interest in the project, with Myanmar’s state oil company and oil exploration companies from Japan and Thailand as its partners. Petronas is the

BERLIN (AP) — German police have searched offices of Deutsche Bank in connection with a money laundering investigation. The bank confirmed Friday that its offices had been raided. In a statement Deutsche Bank said that the probe by the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office was “in connection with suspicious activity reports filed by the bank.” It

JERUSALEM (AP) — A bomb scare set off scenes of panic at Israel’s airport after an American family showed up with an unexploded artillery shell they had found in the Golan Heights. The family had intended to bring it back as a souvenir. Videos showed passengers ducking for cover, running and screaming at the departure

LONDON (AP) — Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt. The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under the Insolvency Act and had faced a maximum sentence of

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has set tentative dates in June to publicly review COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest American children. The FDA said Friday it plans to convene its outside panel of vaccine experts on June 8, 21 and 22 to review applications from Moderna

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has launched a late bid to buy Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds. Rival offers featuring American investors were already being assessed as the sale process is nearing a conclusion. The English Premier League club was put up for sale in March after Russia owner

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s state gas giant says it is gradually restoring the flow of gas to the municipalities that lost it after a Russian energy firm that faced Polish sanctions halted energy supplies. The state gas company said Friday that the Russian firm Novatek Green Energy complied without any problems with Poland’s demand

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve surged 6.6% in March compared with a year ago, the highest 12-month jump in four decades and further evidence that spiking prices are pressuring household budgets and the health of the economy. Yet there were signs in

Airbnb says its employees can live and work almost anywhere around the world, as the company embraces a fully remote work policy to attract staff and ensure flexibility. The San Francisco-based short-term-stay company said late Thursday that under the new policy, employees can work from the office, home or during their travels to 170 countries.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Exxon Mobil reported $5.48 billion in profits during the first quarter as oil and gas prices rose steadily. That was more than double its profits during the same quarter last year. But the oil giant took a huge hit as it abandoned its Russian operations

By LISA RATHKE Associated Press BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The former owner of two Vermont ski resorts was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for his role in a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors’ money. The sentencing of Ariel Quiros, former owner of

By TINA OREM of NerdWallet Using recent metro-area data from the U.S. Census Bureau and state-level data from the Federation of State Tax Administrators, NerdWallet’s list of the 10 best cities for freelancers includes places where housing and income taxes tended to be relatively more affordable, freelancer culture was vibrant and there were signs of

BERLIN (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that Japan is making “significant progress” on its plans to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant next year. A team of experts from the U.N. agency visited the plant in February and met with officials from the operator and the government.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Inflation has hit a record for the 19 countries that use the euro. The European Union’s statistics agency reported on Friday that annual inflation hit 7.5% for April, topping 7.4% from March. The eurozone’s sixth consecutive inflation record comes as skyrocketing fuel prices boosted by the war in Ukraine weigh on the

By The Associated Press Google has expanded options for keeping personal information private from online searches. The company said Friday it will let people request that more types of information be removed from search results. These include personal contact information like phone numbers and email and physical addresses. The new policy also allows the removal

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped more than 900 points Friday as another sharp sell-off led by technology stocks added to Wall Street’s losses in April, leaving the S&P 500 with its biggest monthly skid since the start of the pandemic. A sharp drop in

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will ease its outdoor mask mandate starting next week as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to decline. Health authorities said that starting Monday, people will only be required to wear a mask outdoors when participating in gatherings of more than 50 people or

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — India is in the throes of a record-shattering heat wave that is stunting wheat production. Lower yields likely mean the government will buy less wheat for its reserves this year than last. India had been hoping to plug shortfalls due to Russia’s war in Ukraine

By WILLIAM J. KOLE and ROSS D. FRANKLIN Associated Press GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) — As Forrest Gump in the Oscar-winning 1994 film of the same name, lead actor Tom Hanks abruptly trots to a halt after more than three years of nonstop running and tells his followers: “I’m pretty tired — I think I’ll go

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada casinos reported near-record March house winnings, while the airport in Las Vegas reported passenger traffic almost as heavy as pre-pandemic levels and tourism officials marked another big jump in visitors. The Gaming Control Board said Thursday the $1.35 billion that casinos statewide reaped was just shy of the best-ever monthly

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new government watchdog report finds that while most Americans are eligible to file their taxes for free, only a fraction use the services provided through the government. Instead, many taxpayers utilized other methods, “which they may have paid to use,” according to a new U.S. Government

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press EDGARD, La. (AP) — Descendants of slaves who lived in southeastern Louisiana have won a key ruling allowing their legal opposition to a grain elevator to be built along the Mississippi River to go forward. But a lawyer for the company building the grain elevator said they would likely appeal.

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon reported its first quarterly loss since 2015 on Thursday, its money-making juggernaut stalled by a slowdown in pandemic-induced online shopping and a huge write-down of its investment in an electric-vehicle startup. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s stock fell 9% in after-hours trading. Amazon reported a

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Thursday reported strong quarterly results despite supply shortages, but warned that its growth slowdown is likely to deepen. The big issues: its struggle to get enough chips to meet demand and COVID-related shutdowns at factories in China that make iPhones and other

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s attorney general has subpoenaed ExxonMobil as part of what he called a first-of-its-kind investigation into the petroleum industry for its alleged role in causing a global plastic pollution crisis. Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday said the industry has encouraged the development and use of

NEW YORK (AP) — Growth slammed into reverse at the start of this year for Robinhood Markets, whose trading app has turned millions of people into investors for the first time. The company said Thursday that it took in $299 million in revenue during the first three months of the year, down 43% from a

The Associated Press Stocks rallied on Wall Street Thursday as technology companies clawed back some of the ground they had lost recently. The gains erased weekly losses for most of the major indexes, but they are all still headed for a dismal monthly finish after sliding for much of April. On Thursday tech investors got

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: McDonald’s, Qualcomm rise; Ford, Domino’s fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The money that President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve for Ukraine is designed to help with a range of needs — military equipment for the immediate fight, economic aid for the future and much more. Altogether, Biden is seeking $33 billion. Roughly two-thirds of it would be to keep weapons

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s upbeat message that the economy is cruising along hit a troublesome speed bump on Thursday when the federal government reported that U.S. gross domestic product shrank during the first three months of 2022. Economic activity declined at annual rate of 1.4%, a sharp reversal

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery rose $3.34 to $105.36 a barrel Thursday. Brent crude for June delivery rose $2.27 to $107.59 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for May delivery rose 4 cents to $3.50 a gallon. May heating oil rose 47 cents to $5.14 a gallon. June natural gas fell 45

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas is suing Family Dollar over the discovery of 1,000 rodents in a distribution facility in the state that prompted the discount retail chain to recall items purchased from hundreds of stores in the South. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed the lawsuit Thursday against the

By KEVIN FREKING and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing growing worries about high gasoline prices, Democratic leaders announced an effort Thursday to give the Federal Trade Commission increased authority to crack down on companies that engage in price gouging. In doing so, they downplayed the possibility of other options such as a

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio school board outside Cincinnati voted during an emergency meeting on Wednesday to censure a member who said she accidentally posted a link to a pornography site on her campaign’s Facebook page. The board for the Lakota Local School District in Liberty Township also asked Darbi Boddy, 41, to resign. She

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — A retired Michigan optometrist faces federal charges for allegedly leaving nooses and notes mocking the Black Lives Matter movement inside a couple’s truck and near or inside stores as well as placing threatening phone calls. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that 61-year-old Kenneth David Pilon, of Saginaw, is charged with six counts

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has rejected accusations by Athens that its warplanes conducted unauthorized military flights over Greek islands and pointed the finger at Greece instead. Turkey insisted Thursday that it was Greece’s Air Force which carried out “provocative flights” near Turkey’s coast, repeatedly violating the airspace in southwest Turkey.  The two NATO allies

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Thursday released its long-awaited plan to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, citing the toll on Black smokers and young people. “The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the global pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlight the possibility of big economic shocks in the future. She adds that downturns are “likely to continue to challenge the economy.” In a speech Thursday at the Brookings Institution, Yellen spoke about the

By LORNE COOK, DANICA KIRKA and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Cutting off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria cost Russian President Vladimir Putin very little — but it is adding stress on European countries wrestling with how to reduce the energy imports feeding the Kremlin’s war chest and how to keep a

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged down for the first time in two months following a swift rise to its highest level in more than a decade.   After seven weeks of increases, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage inched down to 5.1% from

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After years of screaming higher, almost regardless of what the economy was doing, tech-oriented stocks are tanking and dragging down the rest of Wall Street. Many of these high-profile companies still make billions of dollars in profits, and they continue to dominate the top of

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank in the first three months of the year, and faces threats from high inflation and rising interest rates, yet economists foresee a return to growth for the rest of 2022 based on the strength of the job market and consumer spending. The

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell again last week and remain at historically low levels. Jobless claims in the U.S. declined by 5,000 to 180,000 for the week ending April 23, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally reflect the

By ALAN FRAM, ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden wants Congress to provide $33 billion to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia. The request came Thursday and signals a long-haul American commitment as Moscow’s invasion and the international tensions it has inflamed show no signs of receding. The measure

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain is postponing until the end of 2023 some checks on imports from the European Union that are required under post-Brexit trade rules. The U.K government is citing economic disruption caused by the war in Ukraine. Thursday’s announcement marks the fourth time the U.K. has delayed checks

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is reporting a loss of $278 million in the first quarter but says it will be profitable the rest of 2022. Like other airlines, Southwest says travel demand is surging, and it’s hiring to increase staff before the expected summer rush. Southwest said Thursday

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish brewer Carlsberg says it saw a strong growth in the first three months of the year despite trying to sell its business in Russia, where it generated around 10% of its sales. The Copenhagen-based company announced last month that it was exiting Russia but says it’s operations are continuing there

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer McDonald’s said higher U.S. menu prices and easing COVID restrictions in Europe helped offset troubled markets like China and Russia in the first quarter. The Chicago burger giant said Thursday its revenue rose 11% to $5.66 billion in the January-March period. U.S. menu prices were up 8% over last

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Caterpillar’s first-quarter sales climbed as construction equipment demand continues to surge even though supply chain challenges still plague most industries. Sales rose 14% to $13.59 billion, topping the $13.5 billion that analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research were looking for. Aside from improved demand for equipment, Caterpillar said higher

By TINA OREM of NerdWallet For small-business owners, preparing an income tax return is far from simple, which can increase the chances of making a mistake. According to two small-business pros, if you catch an error after you’ve filed your small-business tax return, the first thing to do is confirm there’s really an error on