What they want: Biden and Xi are looking for clarity in an increasingly difficult relationship
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to discuss when they sit down for their first talks in a year, even if expectations are low that their meeting will lead to major breakthroughs.
Disputes over safety, cost swirl a year after California OK’d plan to keep last nuke plant running
LOS ANGELES — More than a year after California endorsed a proposal to extend the lifespan of its last nuclear power plant, disputes continue to swirl about the safety of its decades-old reactors, whether more than $1 billion in public financing for the extension could be in jeopardy and even if the electricity is needed in the dawning age of renewables.
Fortnite maker accuses Google of bullying and bribing to block competition to its Android app store
SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Monday confronted the second major U.S. antitrust trial in two months to cast the internet powerhouse as a brazen bully that uses its immense wealth and people’s dependence on one of its main products to stifle competition at consumers’ expense.
Californians bet farming agave for spirits holds key to weathering drought and groundwater limits
MURRIETA, Calif. — Leo Ortega started growing spiky blue agave plants on the arid hillsides around his Southern California home because his wife liked the way they looked.
U.S. regulators will review car-tire chemical that kills salmon, upon request from West Coast tribes
U.S. regulators say they will review the use of a chemical found in almost every tire after a petition from West Coast Native American tribes that want it banned because it kills salmon as they return from the ocean to their natal streams to spawn.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of defrauding cryptocurrency customers
NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s spectacular rise and fall in the cryptocurrency industry — a journey that included his testimony before Congress, a Super Bowl advertisement and dreams of a future run for president — hit a new bottom Thursday when a New York jury convicted him of fraud in a scheme that cheated customers and investors of at least $10 billion.
Hold the olive oil! Prices of some basic European foodstuffs keep skyrocketing
BRUSSELS — These days, think twice before you lavishly ladle olive oil onto your pasta, salad or crusty bread.
Apple’s sales fall for the fourth straight quarter despite a strong start for latest iPhones
Apple’s sales remained on a downward slope during the summer, resulting in a full year of declining revenue at the technology trendsetter with a long history of steady growth that turned it into the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
Tens of thousands of Las Vegas Strip hotel workers at 18 casinos could on go strike this month
LAS VEGAS — Tens of thousands of Las Vegas hotel workers set a deadline Thursday for a sweeping strike, threatening major disruptions to the city’s economic backbone that could coincide with the Strip’s inaugural Formula 1 races later this month.
Federal Reserve leaves its key rate unchanged but keeps open possibility of a future hike
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve kept its key short-term interest rate unchanged Wednesday for a second straight time but left the door open to further rate hikes if inflation pressures should accelerate in the months ahead.
UAW reaches deal with General Motors that ends strikes against Detroit automakers pending votes
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers announced Monday that it reached a tentative deal with General Motors, capping a whirlwind few days in which GM, Ford and Stellantis agreed to generous terms that would end the union’s six weeks of targeted strikes, pending approval of the rank and file.
US consumers keep spending despite high prices and their own gloomy outlook. Can it last?
WASHINGTON — A flow of recent data from the U.S. government has made one thing strikingly clear: A surge in consumer spending is fueling strong growth, demonstrating a resilience that has confounded economists, Federal Reserve officials and even the sour sentiments that Americans themselves have expressed in opinion polls.
Electric travel trailers are coming to the great outdoors and could upend RVing
When Tesla launched the Model X in 2015, the world’s first electric SUV rolled on to a stage towing an Airstream travel trailer. In what seems like unintentional foreshadowing, the $30 billion U.S. recreational vehicle market is now getting the Tesla treatment.
UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union has widened its strike against General Motors, the lone holdout among the three Detroit automakers, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with Jeep maker Stellantis.
Grandpa Google? Tech giant begins antitrust defense by poking fun at its status among youth
WASHINGTON — A top Google executive testified Thursday that the company’s success is precarious and said its leadership fears their product could slide into irrelevance with younger internet users.
Fed Chair Powell: Slower economic growth may be needed to conquer stubbornly high inflation
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed’s target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.
Civic group launches $4M campaign to boost embattled San Francisco ahead of global trade summit
SAN FRANCISCO — A $4 million marketing campaign touting San Francisco’s resilience, innovation and moxie launches Thursday as the embattled city prepares to host a high-profile global economic summit next month that could boost its image or pile on to its woes.
CEO of a prominent tech conference resigns amid backlash for public statements over Israel-Hamas war
NEW YORK — Paddy Cosgrave, the chief executive officer of a prominent European tech conference called Web Summit, resigned from his role on Saturday amid backlash for his public statements that suggested Israel was committing war crimes.
Deal to force multinational companies to pay a 15% minimum tax is marred by loopholes, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — An ambitious 2021 agreement by more than 140 countries and territories to weed out tax havens and force multinational corporations to pay a minimum tax has been weakened by loopholes and will raise only a fraction of the revenue that was envisioned, a tax watchdog backed by the European Union has warned.
Amazon, Tripadvisor and other companies team up to battle fake reviews while FTC seeks to ban them
NEW YORK — Some of the most used platforms for travel and online shopping said Tuesday they’re going to team up to battle fake reviews.