AP National Business

By KATE BRUMBACK and JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — An official with Rivian Automotive said the company was attracted to Georgia’s education system, resources and talent when choosing a site for its $5 billion battery and assembly plant, resources and talent already present in the state. The Irvine, California-based electric vehicle manufacturer plans

DETROIT (AP) — The CEO of General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicles subsidiary is leaving the company. In a statement Thursday, GM gave no reason for Dan Ammann’s departure. But the company said that Cruise President and Chief Technical Officer Kyle Vogt would be interim CEO. The leadership change comes just as Cruise is about to

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Security researchers say they discovered two different types of commercial spyware on the phone of a leading exiled Egyptian dissident, documenting for the first time a hack by a little-known competitor of Israel’s notorious NSO Group. They say it’s the latest evidence that the hacker-for-hire industry

The Associated Press Technology companies led stocks lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors weighed the implications of higher interest rates as the Federal Reserve prepares to begin raising rates next year to fight inflation. Traders were also considering other moves by global central banks. The Bank of England became the first central bank among

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Adobe, Lennar fall; Accenture, Valero rise.

By BERNARD CONDON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A congressional report says the federal agency overseeing the lease of the luxury hotel that Donald Trump’s family company runs in the nation’s capital failed to carry out its basic responsibilities. The report by a Democratic-run House committee says the General Services Administration never tracked the

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans has upheld a federal ban on “bump stocks” — devices attached to semiautomatic firearms to let a shooter fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. The ban was instituted in 2019 by the Trump administration after a sniper

By HOPE YEN and TOM KRISHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s pick to run the nation’s highway safety agency is pledging to attack a crisis of fatal car crashes by implementing safety rules to deter impaired driving. He also is promising to scrutinize fast-emerging “self-driving” technologies, such as in Tesla vehicles, that

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — New Year’s Eve fireworks that were called off last year on the Las Vegas Strip due to the coronavirus pandemic are returning with hopes for big crowds — even as the emerging omicron variant spreads in more states. Tourism and elected officials stood Thursday on an

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Legislature has dedicated $25 million to combatting the proliferation of illegal marijuana farms in Oregon. They made the move after hearing testimony this week about the harm these sites are inflicting on the community. The farms have been accused of stealing water during a

Associated Press Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Intel is expanding its manufacturing operation in Malaysia as chipmakers work to diversify global supply chains that were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. semiconductor company is no stranger to Malaysia, where it built its first offshore assembly plant in Penang in 1972. But

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press U.S. health officials say most Americans should get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot. Thursday’s decision came after government advisers reviewed new safety data about rare but potentially life-threatening blood clots linked to J&J’s shot. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed a bill raising the nation’s borrowing limit by $2.5 trillion, avoiding a potentially catastrophic default and resolving the turbulent issue until after the 2022 midterm elections. The House voted early Wednesday to raise the debt limit, amid urgent warnings from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that further delay

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homebuilder stocks have outpaced the broader market this year, and analysts are bullish on the prospects for more gains in 2022, despite expectations of continued supply chain woes. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders exchange-traded fund is up 45% this year, more than double the S&P 500.

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union drug regulator has issued advice on the use of Pfizer’s experimental pill to treat COVID-19 for countries where authorities may want to use it before it is officially authorized amid surging infection rates. The European Medicines Agency said Thursday the medicine, which

By HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press Americans across the country are pitching in to help after last week’s tornadoes ravaged the South and Midwest, killing at least 90 people and displacing hundreds. Some are removing broken tree limbs from the ground. Others are preparing hot meals and shelters for those who have nowhere to turn. And

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer The Alden Global Capital hedge fund stepped up its efforts to buy Lee Enterprises this week by filing a lawsuit against the newspaper publisher accusing Lee’s board of improperly denying shareholders the chance to have a say on its takeover offer. Lee rejected Alden’s offer to buy the company

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany is scrambling to procure more vaccines to fuel what the new health minister calls a “very offensive” and fast booster strategy that would leave the country better prepared for the onslaught of the new omicron variant. Germany on Wednesday administered nearly 1.5 million shots, its highest

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A section of a major interstate highway in Northern California has reopened after a nearly 24-hour closure caused by blizzard conditions as the latest of back-to-back storms pushed through. The California Department of Transportation says traffic resumed moving around 1 p.m. Thursday on a stretch of Interstate 5 north of the

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus expects tourism to start fully rebounding in 2022 after arrivals this year increased a healthy 175% over a dismal 2020. The deputy Minister of tourism said the Mediterranean island nation recorded around 1.7 million traveler arrivals between January and October, 54% fewer than in a record-setting 2019.

By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH Associated Press Boxed convenience foods aren’t just dinner. For many people born in the latter half of the 20th century, they’re also a source of nostalgia. AP writer Tracee Herbaugh recently bought some Betty Crocker’s Suddenly Salad after her grandmother died. Herbaugh was raised on boxed foods in her grandma’s house.

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — US industrial production increased 0.5% in November as output at the nation’s factories reached the highest level since January 2019. The November gain followed an even larger 1.7% increase in October which had represented a rebound following a 1% drop in production in September, the Federal

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has given final approval to a bill barring all imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were produced without forced labor. In doing so they overcame initial hesitation from the White House and what supporters say was opposition from

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The line of cars started forming at dawn. It was early November in Greenville, North Carolina, and drivers waited in a line that stretched for miles to pick up Thanksgiving turkeys — 10,000 free frozen birds to anyone who asked. Who was behind this act

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking steps aimed at reducing lead in drinking water, releasing $2.9 billion in infrastructure bill funds for lead pipe removal. It has also announced plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to impose stricter rules to limit exposure to the health

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Former McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook has paid back more than $105 million in equity awards and cash to the burger giant after it learned that he had lied about the extent of his misconduct while he was its top executive. Easterbrook apologized Thursday, saying that he had “failed at

Delta Air Lines no longer expects to lose money in the fourth quarter with travel during the holiday season heating up. The company said Thursday that it now foresees an adjusted profit of approximately $200 million in the final quarter of the year. In October Delta cautioned that it expected a “modest” loss in the

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Local authorities in western Serbia have suspended a plan that would allow mining giant Rio Tinto to operate a lithium mine. The mining had been expected to start in the near future, but a town council in Loznica voted on Thursday to suspend a regional development

By DANICA KIRKA and MIKE CORDER Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Soaring infections in Britain driven in part by the omicron variant of the coronavirus are rattling Europe. The renewed spread prompted new restrictions on the Continent and fueled a familiar dread on both sides of the Atlantic about entering a new phase of the

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The former Facebook manager who startled the world this fall by leaking tens of thousands of internal documents and accusing her former employer of caring more about money than about public safety has a book deal. Little, Brown and Company announced Thursday that it had

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s central bank has raised its key policy interest rate from 0.25% to 0.5%, citing the upswing in the economy that it says is likely to continue. The bank’s leader said Thursday that while there’s uncertainty about the coronavirus pandemic, the bank is expected to make more rate increases next year

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have agreed that administering booster shots is “urgent” and “crucial” to tackle the surge of coronavirus infections across the continent and the emergence of the new omicron variant. With the festive season looming, the bloc’s leaders also stressed Thursday the importance of coordinated action

By PAN PYLAS and DAVID McHUGH Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom’s central bank has become the first in a major advanced economy to raise interest rates since the coronavirus pandemic began. Banks controlling monetary policy around the globe are shifting their focus from stimulating the economy to combating soaring consumer prices that

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A fashion studio in Hungary is challenging the centuries-old stereotypes faced by the country’s Roma minority and asserting a place at the table of high culture for the historically marginalized group. The Romani Design studio was co-founded by sisters Erika and Helena Varga. It reutilizes the

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has decided not to abruptly pull back its pandemic support for the economy as the new omicron variant of COVID-19 stirs uncertainty about the continent’s recovery. The move Thursday comes despite inflation hitting record highs and the U.S. speeding up its

By ANGELA CHARLTON and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France will restrict arrivals from Britain because of fast-spreading cases of the omicron virus variant. The government spokesman said Thursday that France will impose limits on reasons for traveling and a new requirement of a 48-hour isolation upon arrival. The new measures will take

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers ae trying to reach 21 people trapped by a flood because of illegal mining for coal in northern China. The accident happened about 11 p.m. Wednesday in Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region southwest of Beijing. Authorities say that water is being pumped out of the mine, and the water level

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A former employee of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba says human resources and upper management wouldn’t deal with her accusation of sexual assault. So she went into the busy cafeteria at the headquarters of the Chinese e-commerce giant and screamed out her plight. Now she is paying

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have fallen in Asia after technology companies led Wall Street benchmarks lower. Investors are weighing the implications of higher interest rates, surging coronavirus cases and tensions between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul declined while Sydney was higher. U.S. shares dropped a

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jurors in the case of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on Thursday heard starkly different interpretations of her motives and actions as her long-running criminal trial nears the finish line. A federal prosecutor cast Holmes as a desperate con artist who brazenly lied to

By INNA VARENYTSIA and YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press NEVELSKE, Ukraine (AP) — The 7-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine has all but emptied the village of Nevelske located near the line of contact between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces. Only five people still live in the village. That’s down from a population of 286 in 2014.

By LISA MASCARO and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has all but acknowledged negotiations over his sweeping domestic policy package will have to be pushed into the new year. It was a setback Thursday as Senate Democrats rushed to try to send the roughly $2 trillion bill to his desk

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s workplace regulators are extending the state’s coronavirus pandemic regulations into next year with some revisions that employers say could worsen the labor shortage. The move Thursday was criticized by business groups and hailed by labor advocates. The revised rules require that vaccinated but asymptomatic workers

By BRIAN MELLEY and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal prosecutors are blaming a Texas oil company’s negligence for a crude spill that fouled Southern California’s coastline. A criminal indictment from a federal grand jury released Wednesday says fatigued workers failed to properly act when repeated alarms signaled an offshore pipeline rupture.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell responded to surging inflation by counseling patience and stressing that the Fed wanted to see unemployment return to near-pre-pandemic levels before it would raise interest rates. But on Wednesday, Powell suggested that his patience has run out. High inflation

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Port of Los Angeles is on track to move a record volume of import cargo this year. Officials at the nation’s busiest port expect to hit the new mark, even as they struggle to clear a backup of ship traffic and ease supply chain

By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge Energy is trying to shift to federal court a Michigan lawsuit seeking shutdown of an oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. Attorney General Dana Nessel filed suit in 2019, arguing that Enbridge’s Line 5 should not

By BRIAN MELLEY and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles federal grand jury has charged a Texas oil company and two subsidiaries for an oil spill off the California coast in October. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Amplify Energy Corp. and its two subsidiaries that operate oil rigs and a

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer Nearly a week after Lee Enterprises rejected Alden Global Capital’s attempt to buy the newspaper publisher, the hedge fund responded Wednesday with a lawsuit accusing Lee’s board of improperly denying shareholders the chance to have a say on the offer. Lee rejected Alden’s offer to buy the company for

WASHINGTON (AP) — Airlines executives say they are are having trouble hiring pilots, flight attendants and other personnel, and that’s part of what is causing canceled flights and scrapping of service to some airports. American CEO Doug Parker says an October service outage began when high winds shut down three of five runways at Dallas-Fort

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — What could be California’s first major new reservoir in years has cleared a key regulatory hurdle. The California Water Commission on Wednesday voted in favor of the feasibility of the Sites Reservoir project. The vote means that the project stays eligible to receive more than $800

By BRITTANY PETERSON and FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Water leaders in California, Arizona and Nevada have signed an agreement to further reduce their take of Colorado River water to help stave off wider, mandatory cuts in the future. The signing took place Wednesday at the annual Colorado River Water Users Association

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Medtronic, Nucor fall; Eli Lilly, CMC Materials rise.

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nannies, house cleaners, gardeners and other San Francisco domestic workers must be given paid sick leave under a groundbreaking law approved by city leaders this week. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the legislation, which the San Francisco Chronicle says is the first of its kind in the U.S. The law

By KEVIN McGILL and DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court panel has lifted a nationwide ban against President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for health workers, creating the potential for patchwork enforcement across the country. Wednesday’s decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals keeps an

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads across North America continue to experiment with alternative locomotive fuels as a way to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. BNSF railroad said Wednesday that it plans to test out a hydrogen-powered locomotive along its lines, joining Canadian Pacific in experimenting with

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Sources briefed on the decision say electric truck maker Rivian Automotive will announce Thursday that it’s building a $5 billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta projected to employ 7,500 workers. Rivian is a new entrant seeking to make electric trucks and commercial vans, challenging established

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A judge has ordered a Dutch right-wing populist lawmaker to take down four tweets in which he drew comparisons between coronavirus lockdown measures and the treatment of Jews under the Nazi regime. The judge said Wednesday that Thierry Baudet “instrumentalized” the suffering of Jews. Two Jewish organizations and a group

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin are said to be sharply divided over Democrats’ huge social and environment bill, with the holdout senator pushing to erase the measure’s improved child tax credit. That word comes from a person familiar with the talks who described them on

ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India has announced a $10.2 billion incentive plan in an attempt to attract global chipmakers and transform the country into a semiconductor production hub. The plan announced Wednesday by government officials comes amid a global semiconductor shortage which has delayed delivery of consumer goods including cars. The

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have met with their counterparts from five former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, with an eye toward deepening political, trade, energy and cultural ties. The EU’s Eastern Partnership includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The president of Belarus is boycotting Wednesday’s meeting due to EU sanctions over reported

DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen’s Audi luxury brand is recalling 289,000 SUVs in the U.S. because water can get into a control computer under the back seats. The recall covers certain 2021 and 2022 Q5 and SQ5 Sportback models and some 2018 through 2022 Q5 and SQ5 models. The company says in documents posted by U.S.

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Political hostility to public education in the Republican-dominated Idaho Legislature is causing some businesses to doubt the wisdom of moving to or expanding in a state that habitually ranks at or near the bottom in what it spends on K-12 students and has had one of

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Housing advocates say evictions are increasing around the country, several months after a federal moratorium was allowed to end. The rise in cases, although below pre-pandemic levels in most states and cities, shows the limits on the tens of billions of dollars in federal assistance and the

DETROIT (AP) — Subaru is recalling about 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. because a chain in the transmission can break, causing a loss of power. The recall covers certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles, as well as some 2019 and 2020 Ascent SUVs. Subaru says in documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators that a

By ARITZ PARRA and BARRY HATTON Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Residents on the Spanish island of La Palma are daring to hope that a volcanic eruption is over after almost three months. Islanders have endured unnerving daily explosions, earthquakes, rivers of molten rock and a huge ash plume containing toxic gases. The Cumbre Vieja

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has registered the highest rate of COVID-19-related deaths since April amid a continuing high rate of new infections. There were 669 deaths reported Wednesday and 24,266 new infection cases. Restrictions also took effect that closed discos and nightclubs. The measures also cut the limit of unvaccinated people in restaurants, eateries,

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Swedish prosecutors say a Croatian national has been released because the suspicion against him of being drunk on the British freighter that collided with a Danish freighter off southern Sweden had “weakened.” But prosecutors said Wednesday that he remains a suspect. A British citizen was still detained. Monday’s pre-dawn collision with

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The leaders of four political parties set to join forces in the next Dutch ruling coalition have pledged to tackle thorny problems including climate change and housing shortages and to strengthen education and a health care system that has been stretched almost to breaking point

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet Rerouting, rebooking, diverting, you name it. Making last-minute flight changes can be an enormous stressor amid an already stressful holiday travel season. Whether a massive snowstorm halts flights, or you need to postpone because of a COVID-related delay, here’s what you need to know about making last-minute flight changes, both

By RONALD MONTOYA Edmunds Edmunds Top Rated Awards are bestowed annually upon the best vehicles of the year. The winners aced their Edmunds track tests and distinguished themselves as class leaders in extensive real-world evaluations. 

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union drugs regulator says people 18 and older can receive a booster shot for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months after their initial shot of the one-dose vaccine. The European Medicines Agency also said the J&J vaccine can be used as a booster dose

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Target is heading into the final stretch of the holiday season with lots of momentum. CEO Brian Cornell reports that holiday sales have continued to stay strong even amid worries about the new omicron variant. Like its big box rivals, Target has been able to

By JAN M. OLSEN and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s data privacy watchdog fined gay dating app Grindr $7.16 million for sending sensitive personal data to hundreds of potential advertising partners without users’ consent. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said Wednesday that it imposed its highest fine to date because the

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace has renewed calls against proposed deep-sea oil and gas exploration off southwest Greece, warning of “unbearable” consequences to endangered Mediterranean whales and dolphins. A Greenpeace Greece official said Wednesday the project should be scrapped before “it starts to wreck the Mediterranean.” The appeal came as

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — A United Nations report says the prolonged pandemic and surging prices are undermining food security for millions of people in Asia. The report by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization released Wednesday says access to food worsened in 2020, with more than 375 million people facing