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General Electric Announces Plans To Shrink Itself Further
General Electric (NYSE: GE) has announced plans to shrink its business even further by spinning off its health care business and selling its stake in oil and gas company Baker Hughes. The moves are part of the company’s plan to shed... More of this article »
Saudi Women No Longer Under Driving Ban
At the stroke of midnight Sunday, women in Saudi Arabia were legally allowed to drive for the first time in the kingdom’s history. The end of the controversial decades-old ban brings the ultra-conservative Gulf nation into line... More of this article »
European Tariffs To Hit American Whiskey Makers Hard
American whiskey makers have been worried about the threat of tariffs from Europe, but now those tariffs are becoming a reality. The European Union will start taxing a range of U.S. imports, including cranberries, peanut butter, playing... More of this article »
Google Launches YouTube Music and YouTube Premium
YouTube Music, Google’s new, all-encompassing music streaming service, and YouTube Premium (formerly known as YouTube Red) have officially launched in 17 countries. Both services are now available to all in the US, Australia, Austria,... More of this article »
Mediterranean Diet Study Results Retracted
The Mediterranean diet, with its focus on vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts and olive oil, has been widely heralded for its benefits to health. Many of those supposed benefits are based on a landmark study, published in 2013, that found... More of this article »
SAT, ACT Now Optional For University Of Chicago Applicants
The University of Chicago has announced it will no longer require undergraduate applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. While applicants can still submit their SAT or ACT scores, university officials said they would let prospective... More of this article »
774,000 Mercedes-Benz Vehicles Using Illegal Emissions Software
Germany’s Transport Ministry has ordered the recall of 238,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Germany after 774,000 of the cars across Europe were found to contain unauthorized software defeat devices. Daimler, makers of Mercedes-Benz,... More of this article »
Salmonella Outbreak Traced To Pre-cut Melon
A salmonella outbreak that sickened 60 people in six states has been linked to pre-cut melon, according to a release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People reported contracting salmonella after eating pre-cut melon... More of this article »
Amazon Ready To Release New Fire TV Cube
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has debuted the new Fire TV Cube, its new high-end Fire TV that you can completely control via Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. The Fire TV Cube will begin shipping on June 21 and costs $119. Amazon Prime members... More of this article »
Guatemala Volcano Eruption Causes Widespread Devastation
Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego, which means “Volcano of Fire” in Spanish, has erupted near the colonial city of Antigua, causing widespread devastation. Ash and gases have covered large areas of ground, with layers of ash knee-deep... More of this article »
Cell Phone Surveillance Devices Possibly Used Near White House
An investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has uncovered the potential use of sophisticated cell phone surveillance devices in sensitive areas around Washington DC, including near the White House. According to a... More of this article »
New US Tariffs Hit Mexico, Canada, EU Nations
New U.S. tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum are set to hit European Union nations, Mexico, and Canada. Tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum will be levied on imports from the three U.S. trading partners.... More of this article »
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Studio Suing Fortnite Developer
PUBG Corp., the studio behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has launched a lawsuit against Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite. According to The Korea Times, the lawsuit was filed in January of this year, but it only became public... More of this article »
Gas Costing Americans $1 Billion More This Memorial Day Weekend
Rising gas prices are crimping household budgets across the country. In the past two weeks alone, gas has jumped at least 12 cents per gallon. Over the past year, the national average price of gas has increased by 31 percent, according... More of this article »
NTSB Releases Reports On Self-driving Uber Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on an incident involving a self-driving Uber 2017 Volvo XC90 that struck and killed a pedestrian in March. 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg was hit by the vehicle... More of this article »
Highly Anticipated New Book About Theranos Released
A highly anticipated book detailing the rise and fall of Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, has been released. Wall Street Journal investigative reporter John Carreyrou’s new book, “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a... More of this article »
Starbucks Announces New Customer Service Policy
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) has announced a new policy of inclusivity for its stores nationwide. The new policy will permit anyone to sit in its cafes and patios or use the stores’ restrooms, regardless of whether they’ve bought anything.... More of this article »
Officials Warn Of Dangerous Sulfur Dioxide Near Hawaii Volcano
Hawaii County officials have issued an alert over dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide gas rising from fissures in the ground caused by an eruption of a volcano on one of Hawaii’s islands. The air quality in the Lanipuna Gardens subdivision... More of this article »
New Chinese Aircraft Carrier Makes Its Debut
China has launched its newest aircraft carrier with great fanfare. The aircraft carrier left its berth at a shipyard with a blow of its horn and a display of fireworks. The 50,000-ton ship is the first aircraft carrier to be entirely... More of this article »
Depression Diagnoses Rising In U.S.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) released new data on the rates of depression diagnoses in their latest report, “Major Depression: The Impact on Overall Health”. According to the report, diagnoses of clinical... More of this article »
U.S. Pulls Out Of Iran Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement reached by the Obama Administration in 2015. During a speech at the White House, Trump said that “the Iran deal is defective... More of this article »
China Accused Of Firing Lasers At U.S. Planes
China has been accused of firing military-grade lasers at U.S. planes landing in the East African nation of Djibouti. The U.S. believes Chinese nationals are behind two recent incidents involving four-engine military transport planes... More of this article »
Cambridge Analytica Filing For Bankruptcy After Data Scandal
Cambridge Analytica has announced that it would file for bankruptcy and cease most of its operations. The company is filing for bankruptcy in both the United States and Britain. The elections division of Cambridge’s British affiliate,... More of this article »
Gas Prices On The Rise Across America
Crude oil prices are at the highest level in more than three years and are expected to keep climbing, increasing the cost of gasoline across the country. According to the Oil Price Information Service, the average gas price in the... More of this article »
U.S. Economy Grows More Than Expected
The American economy grew more than expected in the first quarter of the year. According to the Commerce Department, the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in the first three months of 2018. Wall Street analysts’ had forecast... More of this article »
Outrage Erupts In Mexico Over Student Killings
Outrage has erupted across Mexico and on social media after the killing of three students in Guadalajara. The three film students were kidnapped, beaten, killed and their bodies were dissolved in acid. The fate of the students –... More of this article »
SmugMug Acquires Flickr From Verizon’s Oath
Photo sharing and storage company SmugMug has announced that it has purchased Flickr from Verizon’s Oath for an undisclosed sum. SmugMug is an independent, family-run company. Founded in 2002, the company now has millions of... More of this article »
Swaziland’s King Changing Country’s Name
King Mswati III of Swaziland has decided to change the name of his country. The country will henceforth be known as eSwatini, meaning “land of the Swazis” in the local language. The king announced the name change during a ceremony... More of this article »
Starbucks Facing Protests After Arrest Goes Viral
Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) is in hot water after a video of two black men being arrested while waiting at one of the coffee chain’s stores went viral. The video of the incident has been viewed more than 10 million times on... More of this article »
Hundreds Of Jobs Cut At Ohio General Motors Plant
A General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio is cutting several hundred jobs. Plant leaders informed workers the facility will be eliminating one of two shifts starting in mid-June. The cuts will eliminate up to half of the current jobs... More of this article »
Jesse Jackson Calls For Boycott Of Kroger Stores
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has called for a boycott of Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) stores over the company closing locations in minority communities while building upscale stores in suburbs. Last year, Kroger closed 41 stores out of its nearly... More of this article »
Trump Administration Initiates Review Of Welfare Programs
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for a reevaluation of the nation’s welfare programs. The executive order says: “The Federal Government should do everything within its authority to empower individuals... More of this article »
$37M Awarded In Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and its talc supplier have been hit with a $37 million verdict in a lawsuit over the healthcare giant’s talc powder products. A jury in Middlesex County Superior court awarded the compensatory... More of this article »
Oklahoma Teachers Strike Over School Spending Cuts
Oklahoma educators are striking over some of the deepest school spending cuts in the nation. More than 40,000 teachers and thousands of support staff across Oklahoma pledged to walk off their jobs. The statewide walkout has shuttered... More of this article »
China Imposing Tariffs On 128 U.S. Exports
The Chinese government says it will immediately impose tariffs as high as 25 percent on 128 U.S. products. On Sunday, a Twitter post from the English-language “People’s Daily” read: “China imposes tariffs on 128 items of imports... More of this article »
Howard University Financial Aid Investigation Ends In Dismissals
Six employees of Howard University have been fired after an investigation into misappropriated financial aid money. University officials have not revealed the amount of money involved in the matter. An anonymous whistleblower said... More of this article »
Oracle Lawsuit Against Google Reopened
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reopened a copyright case between Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) and Alphabet Inc.’s Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL). The appeals court ruled that Google’s use of Java shortcuts to develop... More of this article »
Facebook Under Scrutiny For Android Data Mining
Facebook’s (NASDAQ: FB) algorithms may know who you’ve called from your Android phone. Reports have emerged that Facebook was surreptitiously tracking all calls and messages on some Android devices until October 2017. The revelation... More of this article »
Animal Incidents Puts Brake On United’s PetSafe Animal Transport
United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) has announced that it is no longer taking reservations for its animal-transport service for the time being. The carrier said it will honor existing reservations without accepting new ones.... More of this article »
Facebook Under Fire Over Cambridge Analytica’s Data Misuse
Reports have emerged that data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested roughly 50 million Facebook profiles of U.S. voters in violation of the platform’s terms and conditions. Cambridge Analytica is now being called the data-analysis... More of this article »
Xi Jinping Reelected With No Term Limits
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been formally re-elected to a second term as China’s President. The National People’s Congress voted unanimously for Xi to serve a second five-year term as president in a largely ceremonial vote.... More of this article »
Russian Diplomats Expelled From U.K.
Twenty-three Russian diplomats have been expelled from the U.K. after Russia was accused of using a nerve agent to poison one of its former spies on British soil. The press described the expulsions as the biggest one of Russian diplomats... More of this article »
Japanese Prime Minister Caught Up In Land Sale Scandal
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan has been caught up in a scandal involving an improper public land sale at a steeply discounted price to an ultraconservative education group. An internal investigation by the Finance Ministry concluded... More of this article »
Discounted Amazon Prime Memberships Available For Medicaid Recipients
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has begun offering a low-cost version of its Prime membership program to qualifying recipients of Medicaid. Medicaid is the public assistance program providing medical coverage to low-income Americans.... More of this article »
Broadcom’s Takeover Of Qualcomm Delayed By U.S. Government
The U.S. government has ordered Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) to delay its annual shareholder meeting by 30 days to give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. time to review Broadcom Ltd.’s proposed $117 billion takeover... More of this article »
New Steel and Aluminum Tariffs Coming Soon
President Trump has announced that a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum would be imposed by his administration. A tariff is a tax placed on a particular class of imported goods. The new... More of this article »
Herbalife War Comes To An End
William Ackman has ended his five-year crusade against Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF), bringing one of Wall Street’s longest-running, most expensive fights to a conclusion. Sources familiar with the matter said the activist investor... More of this article »
Microsoft Argues Digital Data Privacy Case At Supreme Court
The fight between Microsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and the federal government over the privacy of digital data has reached new heights. At the heart of the matter is whether the company can be compelled to turn over emails stored on overseas... More of this article »