Trump asks Supreme Court to quickly take up tariffs case and reverse ruling finding them illegal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is taking the fight over tariffs to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to rule quickly that the president has the power to impose sweeping import taxes under federal law. In an appeal filed late Wednesday, the government called on the court to reverse an appeals court ruling that most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal under an emergency powers law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit left the tariffs in place for now. The administration nevertheless called on the high court to intervene quickly, arguing the ruling is harming trade negotiations and international relations.
Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's an issue uniting the left and the right. Republican and Democratic lawmakers who agree on little else are rallying support for a bill that would prohibit members of Congress and their families from owning and trading stocks. Supporters of the bill include darlings of the far right, the left, moderates and many in between. Under the bill, lawmakers who currently own individual stocks and bonds would have 180 days to divest their stock. New members would have 90 days to divest upon taking office. The plan seems to have momentum in the House, but may face a more difficult climb in the Senate.
Judge orders search shakeup in Google monopoly case, but keeps hands off Chrome and default deals
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine in an attempt to curb the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly while rebuffing the U.S. government’s attempt to break up the company and impose other restraints. The 226-page decision made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., will likely ripple across the technological landscape at a time when the industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence breakthroughs — including conversational “answer engines” as companies like ChatGPT and Perplexity try to upend Google’s long-held position as the internet’s main gateway.
US job openings slip in July, adding to evidence that the American labor market is cooling
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted 7.2 million job vacancies in July as the American labor market continued to cool. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that job openings were down from 7.4 million in June and came in modestly below what economists had forecast.The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that layoffs rose. The number of Americans quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their ability to find better pay, opportunities or working conditions elsewhere — was almost unchanged at 3.2 million from June.
Families of Boeing crash victims urge judge to reject deal sparing company from prosecution
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Grieving families filled a Texas courtroom Wednesday to ask a judge to reject a deal that would let Boeing avoid criminal prosecution in two deadly 737 Max crashes. The crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. The judge is considering whether to dismiss the criminal case against Boeing. The company has agreed to pay $1.1 billion in fines and compensation. Some families want a public trial and oppose the agreement, while others support it. The Justice Department says Boeing has made significant changes to its safety programs. The judge’s decision will come later.
Wall Street steadies itself as Alphabet rallies and pressure eases from the bond market
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street steadied itself after Alphabet and other technology stocks rose. The S&P 500 added 0.5% Wednesday and broke the two-day losing skid it's been on since setting its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1%. Google’s parent company was one of the strongest forces lifting the market after avoiding some of the worst-case scenarios in an antitrust case. Also helping to steady Wall Street was the bond market, where yields eased following a weaker-than-expected update on the U.S. job market. A day earlier, climbing yields worldwide raised the pressure on the stock market.
Paul Colford, longtime journalist and author who became top AP spokesman, dies at 71
NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Colford, an inexhaustibly curious journalist and author who covered the media business for decades before becoming The Associated Press’ chief spokesperson, has died. He was 71. Colford, who retired from the AP in 2017, died Aug. 26 after a fall the previous month turned a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease into a rapid decline, said his wife, Anne LaBate. Despite his health problems, he was working even in recent months on his third book, about a notorious figure from his hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey. During a decade as AP’s director and ultimately vice president of media relations, Colford was known for his sage, unflappable handling of the news cooperative’s dealings with other media outlets.
Timeline: Key events in the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max jetliner
In the eight years that airlines have flown Boeing's 737 Max jets, two crashes killed 346 people. The Max debuted as a fuel-efficient version of Boeing's popular 737 but quickly became a symbol of safety concerns. Regulators grounded all Max jets in March 2019 after the second crash, leading to the ousting of Boeing’s CEO. Then his successor stepped down last summer after a panel covering an unused door on a Max blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight. The Justice Department has twice charged Boeing with criminal conspiracy and struck deals that allowed the aerospace company to avoid a trial. A judge is considering whether to grant prosecutors' request to withdraw the charge.
Conservative news network Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox News
NEW YORK (AP) — The conservative news network Newsmax has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News. It said Fox has sought to maintain its market dominance through intimidation and exclusionary business practices designed to stifle competition. The lawsuit says Fox has sought to block television distributors from carrying Newsmax or minimize its exposure, pressured guests not to appear on the rival network and hired private detectives to investigate Newsmax executives. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in south Florida. Newsmax seeks a jury trial. Fox, in a statement, said “Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers.”
Subdued decision in Google antitrust trial may help keep a monopoly in power
After a five-year legal showdown pitting the U.S. Justice Department against Google, a federal judge concluded the disruptive forces of technology will have a better chance of hobbling an illegal monopoly than restraints imposed by a court order. That was one of the underlying themes of a highly anticipated ruling issued late Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. Even as the Justice Department claimed victory on behalf of consumers, most analysts and antitrust experts viewed the decision as a light-handed punishment that will enable Google to mostly conduct business as usual. Investors celebrated by sending the market value of Google's corporate parent Alphabet to a new high Wednesday.
