AP National Business

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s largest public employee pension fund has sued Facebook, alleging that it broke federal securities law by purposely misleading the public about its product’s negative effect on children. The lawsuit by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System also says Facebook also knew that its platform facilitated dissention, illegal activity, and violent

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex will delay fining shipping companies that let cargo containers stack up at terminals. The Southern California News Group reports the reprieve comes because of early compliance by companies in clearing cargo since the penalties were approved last month. The fines were set to begin Monday

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett’s company made two new investments during the third quarter while trimming its holdings in several drugmakers and financial firms. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed new stakes Monday in Royalty Pharma, which invests in drug development, and specialty flooring retailer Floor & Decor. Besides

CAMBRIDGE, Md. (AP) — Maryland officials say an Eastern Shore mayor has been charged with distributing revenge porn. The Office of the State Prosecutor says 32-year-old Cambridge mayor Andrew Bradshaw is accused of posting nude photos of a woman he was no longer in a romantic relationship with using multiple Reddit accounts he created. Bradshaw

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida-based U.S. Navy flight officer has been convicted of buying guns for a Chinese businessman who was later convicted of export crimes. Authorities say 36-year-old Lt. Fan Yang also lied about his relationship with the businessman on security forms. Yang was found guilty of several charges Friday in Jacksonville federal

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A private California port terminal that handles and stores coal from Utah before it’s shipped overseas to Asia must halt those operations by the end of 2026. That’s per a settlement signed Friday by the city of Richmond and the Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation. Utah-based coal company

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney won’t seek a third trial against a federal agent who shot and killed a man during an altercation in a fast-food restaurant. U.S. State Department Special Agent Christopher Deedy was in Honolulu helping with security for the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. He

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press A new report says misinformation is hurting efforts to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, be it climate change, COVID-19 or political polarization. The analysis from the Aspen Institute’s Commission on Information Disorder concludes that addressing misinformation requires a ‘whole of society’ effort by policy makers, tech companies, journalists, educators

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Amazon has agreed to pay $500,000 and be monitored by California officials to ensure it properly notifies its workers about new coronavirus cases. The settlement announced Monday requires the Seattle-based retailer to notify its tens of thousands of California warehouse workers within a day of new

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Monday: Dollar Tree, CyrusOne rise; Splunk, Take-Two fall.

The Associated Press Major indexes ended a wobbly day mostly lower on Wall Street as the market comes off its first weekly loss in six weeks. The S&P 500 ended little changed and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged barely higher. The Nasdaq fell less than 0.1%. Trading was choppy as investors hold back ahead

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Film industry crew members have narrowly voted to approve a pair of contracts with Hollywood producers. The vote announced Monday comes after a standoff that nearly led to a strike that would have frozen productions across the U.S. The popular vote of members was within

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

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer As the biggest cryptocurrencies flirt with record highs in value, they are increasingly becoming bigger sources of revenue for charities. However, the number of charities accepting the virtual currencies, known for their volatility, remains limited. According to CoinGecko pricing, the world of crypto recently pushed past $3 trillion in

By DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Kentucky have ended their case against four former coal company executives. A former safety director testified Monday about how he attempted to cheat underground safety rules. The former Armstrong Coal officials are accused of ordering workers to skirt dust sampling regulations. Ron Ivy,

Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida-based company that owns the Firehouse Subs chain is in contract to be purchased by a Canadian company that owns Burger King, Popeye’s and Tim Horton’s fast-food restaurants. Restaurant Brands International said Monday that it had reached an agreement to acquire Jacksonville-based Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc. in a

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Federal safety regulators reach an agreement with Smithfield Foods to settle a contested citation of the company’s coronavirus safety measures during a massive outbreak last year at the South Dakota pork processing plant. The company will develop a plan to prevent infectious diseases at meatpacking

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Health care costs rise every year, but the nation’s biggest employers still see insurance coverage as an important benefit to provide. They just struggle getting the health care system to deliver what their workers need, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health. Mitchell’s nonprofit

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of the Interior says oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico will be prohibited for the next two years. The temporary moratorium announced Monday will allow time for the agency to consider a

By TOM KRISHER and PAUL WISEMAN AP Business Writers DETROIT (AP) — Take a step back from the picked-over store shelves, the stalled container ships and the empty auto showrooms, and you’ll find a root cause of the shortages of just about everything you’d want to buy. We’re buying too much stuff. Households flush with

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Energy ministers from across the developing world gathered in the emirate of Abu Dhabi have stressed the need for continued investment in fossil fuel production. The annual ADIPEC petroleum conference on Monday comes just days after these same nations joined around 200 countries

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has turned away appeals from Volkswagen that sought to stop state and local lawsuits related to the 2015 scandal in which the automaker was found to have rigged its vehicles to cheat U.S. diesel emissions tests. The court’s action Monday allows suits by Ohio, Salt Lake County, Utah, and

NEW YORK (AP) — The e-commerce mattress maker Casper is being acquired and taken private for about $308 million. Shares of Casper Sleep Inc. spiked 88.5% to close Monday at $6.69. Durational Capital Management will pay $6.90 per share for Casper’s stock. The New York City company went public in February 2020 and it’s had a

The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s opulent hotel near the White House that drew lobbyists and diplomats seeking favor with the ex-president is being sold to a Miami investment group. That’s according to published reports citing anonymous sources. The reports say CGI Merchant Group has agreed to pay the Trump Organization $375 million

CyrusOne is being acquired for $11.5 billion, the second big sale in recent months of a real estate investment trust focused on data centers. In August, Blackstone completed a $10 billion acquisition of QTS Realty Trust. On Monday CyrusOne said KKR and Global Infrastructure will pay $90.50 per share in a deal worth $15 billion

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has banned travelers from several Middle Eastern countries from boarding flights to Belarus, cutting off one of the last major air routes for would-be migrants to a nation on the European Union’s eastern border. A travel agent in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad

By LIZ WESTON OF NerdWallet Before you bring up money at a holiday gathering, family and caregiving experts recommend researching options so you can present choices to your parents rather than issuing orders. Be mindful of your tone — you are not your parents’ parent — and consider a variety of ways to broach the

By DANICA KIRKA and MIKE CORDER Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell proposed moving its headquarters from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom and streamlining its structure in hopes of making it easier to move forward in a world transitioning away from a dependence on fossil fuels. The company that’s been incorporated in

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airbus has clinched a major deal valued into the billions of dollars to sell 111 new aircraft to the Air Lease Corporation, its second blockbuster order at the Dubai Air Show. It made the announcement on Monday, saying it has received an order from

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India has began allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country on regular flights, in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions as infections fall and vaccinations rise. This is the first time India has allowed foreign tourists on commercial flights to enter the country since

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Despite his suicide, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein will still be put on trial in a sense in the coming weeks by a proxy: his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The 59-year-old Maxwell is to go before a federal jury in Manhattan later this month

The Associated Press Tyson Foods reports fourth-quarter results Monday. Walmart reports third-quarter results on Tuesday. Victoria’s Secret reports third-quarter earnings on Wednesday.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — U.S. and Japanese officials have agreed to launch talks aimed at settling a dispute over American tariffs on imports of Japanese steel and aluminum. The agreement came in a meeting between visiting U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Japan’s industry minister, Koichi Hagiuda. Japan hopes to convince

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers two weeks earlier than originally planned, as it emerges from a lengthy lockdown bolstered by one of the world’s highest rates of immunization against COVID-19. The program allows visitors to skip quarantine measures if they are

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are higher as President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping hold a summit meeting by video link. Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Sydney fell. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost less than 0.1% as makers of household goods

By JOSH BOAK and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed his hard-fought $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law before a bipartisan, celebratory crowd on the White House lawn. Biden declared that the infusion of cash for roads, bridges, ports and more is going to make life “change for the

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi surprised advocates, and even many of her Democratic colleagues, when she revived a long-sought paid family and medical leave plan and said it would be part of a massive social and environmental spending bill in the House. Ahead of eventual votes in

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has taken the state’s case against the nation’s three biggest drug distributors to trial. The trial started Monday after Ferguson rejected a half-billion-dollar settlement. He says they must be held accountable for their role in the opioid crisis. His gamble isn’t without

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — A stock exchange set up in the Chinese capital to serve entrepreneurs has opened trading with 81 companies amid a crackdown on tech giants that has wiped more than $1 trillion off their market value abroad. The Beijing Stock Exchange joins other mainland Chinese exchanges in

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy shrank at a 3% annual rate in the July-September quarter, as private consumption and auto production took a hit from the ongoing efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The government Cabinet Office says the gross domestic product, or GDP, which measures the sum of

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has chosen a former New Orleans mayor, Mitch Landrieu, to supervise his $1 trillion infrastructure plan. The White House says Landrieu will be tasked with coordinating across federal agencies to work on roads, ports, bridges and airports. Landrieu is a longtime public servant who

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — While world leaders hail the Glasgow climate pact as a good compromise that keeps a key temperature limit alive, scientists are much more skeptical. Leaders say Saturday’s deal keeps the possibility of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Scientists say if that

By HOPE YEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser is expressing confidence the White House’s $1.85 trillion domestic policy package will quickly pass the House this week. Brian Deese says approval couldn’t come at a more urgent time as prices of consumer goods spike. He also says he’s confident the

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hailed the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow as a “game-changing agreement” that sounded the “death knell for coal power.” But he added that his delight at the progress was “tinged with disappointment.” Johnson said it was “beyond question” that the deal coming out of the Glasgow

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — Bob Bondurant, a former champion race car driver and founder of a high-performance driving school that taught many A-list actors, has died at age 88. According to his family and the Bondurant Racing School website, Bondurant died Friday in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley. No cause of death was

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas TV station reports that troopers investigating a crash that killed five bicyclists on a stretch of Nevada highway didn’t suspect the driver of the box truck that hit them was impaired, even though a blood test later found he had a potentially lethal level of methamphetamine in his

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Disney and Marvel’s “Eternals” fell 61% in its second weekend in theaters, but it’s still hanging on to first place ahead of newcomers like “Clifford the Big Red Dog.” Studio estimates Sunday show “Eternals” added $27.5 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $118.8 million. Second place

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa was not happy with a last-minute fight over coal that ended in a compromise at the Glasgow climate talks. Still, she’s satisfied, calling the final Glasgow Climate Pact a good compromise. When India threw a last-minute wrench into the climate

By HOPE YEN, TOM BEAUMONT and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden gets set to sign a $1 trillion infrastructure package, many eyes are turning to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The bill will make the 39-year-old former mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate one of the more powerful brokers in

By AYA BATRAWY and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s biennial Air Show has opened to a world still reeling from the pandemic and an aviation industry hard-hit by the coronavirus –  but on the mend. Boeing and Airbus have traditionally been the stars of the aviation trade show that

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Air pollution in the Indian capital has hit dangerous levels again this winter, as thick, gray smog obscures the sky and monuments and high-rises are swallowed by a blanket of haze. The New Delhi government ordered the closing of schools for a week and construction sites

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer The military takeover in Myanmar has set its economy back years, if not decades, as political unrest and violence disrupt banking, trade and livelihoods and millions slide deeper into poverty. The Southeast Asian country was already in recession when the pandemic took hold in 2020, paralyzing its lucrative tourism

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — After two years of preparation and 13 days of tough talks, did negotiators at the U.N. climate meeting in Glasgow save the planet? In short, the answer is no. But they were hardly expected to. The annual conference is all about getting countries to gradually ratchet

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An alliance of unions representing 50,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in California, Oregon and six other states called off a strike notice after reaching a tentative labor deal Saturday with the health care network. The Alliance of Health Care Unions and Kaiser Permanente jointly announced the agreement, staving off a potentially crippling

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Deere & Co. and union officials have reached a third preliminary contract agreement that workers who began striking four weeks ago will vote on soon. The United Auto Workers said in a statement Friday night that the proposed contract with the agricultural machinery giant “includes modest modifications” to the latest

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Nearly two years after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Carnival Cruise Lines is restarting operations in Mobile. Al.com reports Carnival said Thursday that all 22 of its U.S.-based ships will be back in operation by March 2022, with the Carnival Sensation sailing out of Mobile on March 5, the first

By KARL RITTER Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — In the run-up to the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, host Britain announced one of its goals of the conference was to consign coal to history. That has turned out to be easier said that done. Government negotiators in Glasgow wrote and rewrote a paragraph that

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A fire at a gasoline storage at the largest oil refinery on Indonesia’s Java island near Jakarta has prompted the evacuation of at least 80 residents living nearby. The national oil company Pertamina says the fire at the Cilacap refinery started at one of the 228 gasoline tanks used to accommodate

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and TALI ARBEL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion social spending bill includes a provision that, if it becomes law, would mark the first time the federal government has offered targeted support to local news organizations. The help would come in the form of a payroll tax credit

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — It’s been a bear of a year for Ohio’s Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the nation’s second-largest zoological park. Famous zookeeper Jack Hanna’s retirement started in January. In March, a newspaper investigation found financial abuses by top zoo executives. Resignations and investigations followed. In April, a

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities have declined to renew a visa for a foreign journalist working for The Economist without any explanation. The Economist says Sue-Lin Wong, who is Australian, was based in Hong Kong and covered China and the city. The magazine regretted the decision and urged the government of Hong Kong

By SETH BORENSTEIN and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Almost 200 nations have accepted a compromise deal aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal. Several countries, including small island states, said they were deeply disappointed by the

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has declined to lift its stay on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had granted an emergency stay last Saturday of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — For one day at least, everyone with power over Britney Spears was in agreement. She needed to be freed. A Los Angeles judge on Friday released the pop star from the conservatorship that has had power over her life and money for nearly 14 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has declined to lift its stay on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had granted an emergency stay last Saturday of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators are looking into a complaint from a Tesla driver that the company’s “Full Self-Driving” software caused a crash. According to a complaint filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the driver was beta testing the “Full Self-Driving” software, and the Tesla SUV went into the wrong lane

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is telling nursing homes to open their doors wide to visitors, easing many remaining pandemic restrictions while urging residents, families and facility staff to keep their guard up against outbreaks. New guidance Friday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services instructs nursing homes to

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s largest electric provider and global energy giant Iberdrola say they’re committed to customer protections as they push for regulatory approval for a multibillion-dollar merger. The parent company of Public Service Co. of New Mexico and an Iberdrola subsidiary filed additional arguments with utility regulators Friday. The filing claims the

The Associated Press Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Friday, but every major index still marked its first weekly loss in six weeks. Technology and communications companies led the modest gains. Bond yields rose. Banks and energy stocks lagged the rest of the market. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Spectrum Brands, Flowers Foods rise; Lordstown, Loews fall.

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

By SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A U.N. envoy says Lebanon is a failing state that has also failed its people, leaving them struggling with converging crises that have impoverished the population and eroded trust in authorities. Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on poverty, sounded the alarm in an interview

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be playing football again less than two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 while unvaccinated. Whether the off-field consequences of this situation on the reigning MVP’s public persona have a similarly short shelf life remains uncertain. Rodgers

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold another chunk of his stock after pledging on Twitter to liquidate 10% of his holdings in the electric car maker. Musk sold about 640,000 shares for roughly $687.3 million, according to two filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The sales will help Musk pay

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans quit their jobs at a record pace for the second straight month in September, while businesses and other employers continued to post a near-record number of available jobs. The Labor Department said Friday that 4.4 million people quit their jobs that month, or about 3%

BOSTON (AP) — Members of the union that represents about 200 workers at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts have voted to hold a one-day strike next week over stalled contract negotiations with management. Union officials tell The Boston Globe that more than 96% of the union voted to picket outside the museum Wednesday. The union

BERLIN (AP) — Lufthansa says it has repaid all the aid it received from the German government last year to help the airline through the coronavirus pandemic. Germany’s biggest airline received a 9 billion euro government rescue package in mid-2020. The German government took a 20% stake in the company, which has long made clear

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN and TOM MURPHY The Associated Press Johnson & Johnson is splitting into two companies, separating the division that sells Band-Aids and Listerine from its medical device and prescription drug business. The company said Friday that the division selling prescription drugs and medical devices will keep the Johnson & Johnson name. The new

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca says it will start to book a modest profit from its coronavirus vaccine as it moves away from the nonprofit model it’s operated during the pandemic. In a third-quarter update Friday, the company said profits from the vaccine in the fourth quarter will

By NICK PERRY and JIM GOMEZ Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Pacific Rim leaders have agreed to do all they can to improve access to coronavirus vaccines and reduce carbon emissions, but failed to reach agreement on whether the U.S. should host talks in two years’ time. U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. and the European Union have inched away from a diplomatic cliff edge but remain miles apart in a post-Brexit spat that risks escalating into a cross-Channel trade war. Chief negotiators David Frost for Britain and Maros Sefcovic for the EU failed to make much progress

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Embattled Japanese technology conglomerate Toshiba is restructuring to improve its competitiveness, spinning off its energy infrastructure and computer devices businesses. Tokyo-based Toshiba Corp. said Friday it is separating its nuclear power business, including the decommissioning of the nuclear plant in Fukushima that suffered meltdowns in 2011,

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand says it would delay the reopening of nightlife entertainment venues to Jan. 15 despite pleas from the industry to make it sooner. A spokesman for the government’s COVID-19 administration cited concerns about ventilation and inefficient prevention measures in pubs, bars and karaoke joints. Starting in November, Thailand began reopening to fully

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s preparations for the next coronavirus surge include adding thousands more hospital beds to avoid a situation like last summer when many COVID-19 patients were forced to stay home, even when they needed supplemental oxygen. Japan has the most hospital beds per capita in the world, but

By FRANK JORDANS, ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Going into overtime, negotiators at U.N. climate talks in Glasgow are still trying to find common ground on phasing out coal, when nations need to update their emission-cutting pledges and, especially, on money. Talks are at a “bit of a stalemate,”

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears is free. A Los Angeles judge on Friday ended the conservatorship that has controlled the pop singer’s life and money for nearly 14 years. The move by Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny capped a stunning odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks closed higher on Wall Street on Friday, but still marked their first weekly loss in six weeks. Technology and communications companies led the modest gains. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% and the Nasdaq rose 1%. Johnson & Johnson gained ground

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The CEO of McDonald’s is facing increasing criticism, including calls for resignation, following text messages where he seemed to blame the deaths of two Black and Latino children killed in gun violence on their parents. Community groups and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush have demanded Chris Kempczinski resign.

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says people have a duty to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to protect others. She spoke as Germany grapples with a new surge of infections, which reached a record daily high of 50,000 on Thursday. Merkel talked for 30 minutes with

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Six U.S. oil executives detained in Venezuela for four years on corruption charges have been granted a hearing before an appeals court, a rare decision by the judicial system in the South American country. A judge this week scheduled for Tuesday the hearing for the

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts has pulled up at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. It took 21 hours for the flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the glittering outpost, where docking occurred Thursday evening. The astronauts

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — Two Native American tribes have failed again in their bid to persuade a federal judge in Nevada that a lithium mine planned near the Oregon line is on sacred lands where their ancestors were massacred in 1865. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du ruled this week that

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Kellogg Co. has filed a lawsuit against its local union in Omaha. It’s complaining that striking workers are blocking entrances to its cereal plant and intimidating replacement workers who are entering the plant. The company based in Battle Creek, Michigan, asked a judge to

NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter says it’s permanently banned Newsmax White House correspondent Emerald Robinson for repeated violations of its COVID-19 misinformation policy. Robinson had earlier received a one-week ban for a false tweet that coronavirus vaccines contained a marker that allows people to be tracked. She returned to the social media service on Tuesday

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A chemical company has agreed to pay $34 million to compensate residents of a Vermont town for chemical contamination in groundwater and soil. The Bennington Banner reports the ChemFab plant in Bennington used industrial chemicals that spread throughout the town and into the groundwater supply. PFOA has been known to cause

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Dillard’s, Beazer Homes rise; Walt Disney, Beyond Meat fall.

The Associated Press Stocks managed to close mostly higher on Wall Street Thursday, but the S&P 500 is still on track for its first weekly loss in six weeks. The benchmark index eked out a gain of under 0.1%, while gains in technology companies helped push the Nasdaq up 0.5%. The mixed showing came a

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