National Business - The Morning Sun

Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on what Republicans say is the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department and attacks on American civil liberties, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

GOP subpoenas tech CEOs as part of probe into censorship

Subpoenas have been sent to the chief executives of the five largest tech companies as congressional Republicans moved to investigate what they assert is widespread corporate censorship of … more

By FARNOUSH AMIRI | 2/15/23

FILE - Robert Duvall attends the premiere for "Widows" on day 3 of the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Toronto. Duvall was one of more than 100 speakers at a northern Virginia town's council meeting opposing a proposed $550 million data center from Amazon. The Town of Warrenton voted 4-3 early Wednesday morning, Feb. 15, 2023, to approve a special use permit for Amazon, despite Duvall's opposition. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Town can't refuse Amazon offer despite Duvall opposition

Actor Robert Duvall was one of more than 100 speakers at a northern Virginia town’s council meeting opposing a proposed $550 million data center from Amazon. The Town of Warrenton voted 4-3 early … more

By MATTHEW BARAKAT | 2/15/23

Samuel Bankman-Fried departs Manhattan federal court in New York, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

FTX founder's bail signatories include 2 family friends

Two Stanford University academics signed on to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's $250 million bail package, enabling him to live with his parents while awaiting trial on fraud charges. Manhattan … more

By LARRY NEUMEISTER | 2/15/23

FTX bankruptcy judge denies request for independent examiner

The judge presiding over the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency exchange FTX has denied a request by the U.S. bankruptcy trustee to appoint an independent examiner in the case. The trustee serves as a … more

By RANDALL CHASE | 2/15/23

This image released by McDonald’s shows the McPlant plant-based burger and and the new plant-based McPlant Nuggets. The nuggets will be available along with the burger at McDonald’s restaurants in Germany starting Feb. 22. (McDonald’s via AP)

Fowl-free: McDonald's debuts plant-based McNuggets

McDonald’s McNuggets are going fowl-free. The Chicago-based fast food giant will introduce its first plant-based McNuggets next week. Germany is the first market to get them. The nuggets are made … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 2/15/23

FILE - Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. Schutz has declined a request to appear before a Senate committee seeking to question him about the coffee chain's response to an ongoing unionization campaign at the the company's U.S. stores. In a letter to the committee Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, Starbucks said Schultz will be transitioning out of his interim CEO role soon and another executive should testify instead. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Starbucks' Schultz declines to appear before Senate panel

Starbucks’ interim CEO Howard Schutz has declined a request to appear before a Senate committee seeking to question him about the coffee chain’s response to an ongoing unionization campaign at … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 2/15/23

FILE - An Aeromar turbojet is symbolically baptized during the inauguration of a new terminal at the international airport that serves Mexico City, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007. Aeromar announced Wednesday, February 15, 2023, that it is closing down due to financial problems. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

Hit by pandemic, small Mexican airline Aeromar shuts down

The small Mexican airline Aeromar has announced it is closing down due to financial problems. The regional carrier operated 21 routes in Mexico and flew to McAllen and Laredo in Texas and Havana, … more

2/15/23

FILE - World Bank Group President David Malpass attends a news conference during the 2022 annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, Oct. 13, 2022, in Washington. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, it was announced that Malpass is stepping down as president of the World Bank, nearly four years after former President Donald Trump nominated him to run the 189-nation agency. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Trump pick Malpass stepping down as head of the World Bank

David Malpass is stepping down as president of the World Bank, four years after former President Donald Trump picked him to run the 189-nation agency. The anti-poverty lender said Wednesday that … more

2/15/23

CBO projects higher unemployment, slow exit from inflation

The Congressional Budget Office says it expects the U.S. economy to stagnate this year. It projects that the unemployment rate will jump to 5.1% — a bleak outlook that was paired with a 10-year … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and JOSH BOAK | 2/15/23

People rally in support of renewable energy policies, such as strengthening a renewable energy fund, across from the Alaska Capitol on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. Some environmentalists are skeptical of legislation proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy that aims to capitalize on carbon storage and carbon markets. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Alaska carbon plan: Boost state coffers without cutting oil

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling for the state to build off its oil and gas expertise to tap into the developing industry of carbon storage as a way to generate new revenue without curtailing the … more

By BECKY BOHRER | 2/15/23

FILE - Attendees practice administering Narcan during an overdose education and Narcan training class at the Onala Recovery Center on the South Shore of Pittsburgh on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. U.S. health advisers are weighing whether the overdose-reversal drug, Narcan, should be made available as an over-the-counter medication to help fight the national opioid crisis. A panel of experts to the Food and Drug Administration will vote on the switch late Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023 following hours of presentations and discussions on whether untrained users can follow the instructions to use the antidote in emergency situations. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)

FDA panel weighs moving opioid antidote over the counter

U.S. health advisers are weighing whether the overdose-reversal drug naloxone should be made available as an over-the-counter medication. It's the latest government proposal to increase use of the … more

By MATTHEW PERRONE | 2/15/23

FILE - Workers at the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tenn., walk by a Nissan Altima sedan on May 15, 2012. Fewer than 100 employees out of the thousands who work at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Tennessee can hold a vote on whether to form a small union, according to a ruling Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, by the federal labor board. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, File)

Mini-union vote at Nissan Tennessee plant set for March 16

Fewer than 100 employees out of the thousands who work at Nissan’s auto assembly plant in Tennessee will get to vote on March 16 on whether to form a small union. The National Labor Relations Board … more

By JONATHAN MATTISE | 2/15/23

FILE - Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Billy Nolen stands among flight attendants during a news conference to announce longer rest times for airline flight attendants between shifts at Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Nolen said Wednesday, Feb/ 15. 2023, he has formed a team to review efforts to keep air travel safe. Nolen also says FAA is making changes to avoid another breakdown in a safety-alert system, like the one that briefly halted all flights last month. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FAA head defends safety of US air travel after close calls

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration is defending the safety of air travel as he answers questions about recent close calls between planes. Acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen said … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 2/15/23

FILE - A former iron ore processing plant near Hoyt Lakes, Minn., that would become part of a proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine, is pictured on Feb. 10, 2016. PolyMet Mining and Teck Resources finalized a joint venture Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, to complete the copper-nickel mine that PolyMet has been developing in northeastern Minnesota, and the partnership hopes to eventually build a separate mine next door in an even larger ore body that Teck controls. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

PolyMet mine in Minnesota becomes NewRange Copper Nickel

PolyMet Mining and Teck Resources have finalized a joint venture to complete the copper-nickel mine that PolyMet has been developing in northeastern Minnesota. The partnership hopes to eventually … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 2/15/23

Shoppers pass an large L.L. Bean boot displayed outside an L.L. Bean store in Pittsburgh on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for January. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Retail sales jump as Americans defy inflation and rate hikes

America’s consumers rebounded last month from a weak holiday shopping season by boosting their spending at stores and restaurants at the fastest pace in almost two years, underscoring the … more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER | 2/15/23

This photo provided by Edmunds shows the 2022 Ford Lightning electric pickup truck. It is capable of towing up to 10,000 pounds, though towing will significantly affect its range. ( Rex Tokeshi-Torres/Courtesy of Edmunds via AP)

Edmunds: What to know before towing with an electric pickup

Gas-powered pickups are a go-to choice for people needing to tow a trailer. But electric pickups are muscling their way into the market, too. Some versions of these trucks are rated to tow around … more

By BRENT ROMANS | 2/15/23

FILE - A man walks down steps in front of the Bank of England in London, on Feb. 2, 2023. Britain’s inflation rate fell for a third consecutive month in January, boosting optimism that the cost-of-living crisis has peaked and prices will fall sharply later this year.Inflation eased to 10.1% in the 12 months through January, from 10.5% a month earlier, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The consumer prices index peaked at 11.1% in October. The Bank of England forecasts prices will fall rapidly in the second half of this year as energy costs begin to moderate and price increases triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drop out of inflation calculations. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

UK inflation falls again, raising hopes prices will plunge

Britain’s inflation rate fell for a third consecutive month in January, boosting optimism that the cost-of-living crisis has peaked and prices will fall sharply later this year. The Office for … more

2/15/23

FILE - Red Farmer (61) goes airborne after hitting a hole on the four-mile Daytona Beach road course during the 100-mile Modified and Sportsmen type stock car race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 14, 1953. NASCAR marks its 75th year in 2023, recalling both its highs and lows. (AP Photo/James P. Kerlin, File)

NASCAR 75: Car evolution includes stock, wings, safety. EV?

NASCAR’s next 75 years almost certainly will include at least a partially electric vehicle turning laps at Daytona International Speedway. It’s unlikely NASCAR would make the transition without … more

By MARK LONG | 2/15/23

FILE - Auto rickshaw drivers line up to buy gas near a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. China expressed support for Sri Lanka ahead of a meeting Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, of government lenders to poor economies but did not say if it might help to cut multibillion-dollar debts that have plunged the Indian Ocean island nation into financial and political turmoil. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)

China expresses support for Sri Lanka ahead of debt meeting

China has expressed support for Sri Lanka ahead of a meeting of lenders to poor economies but gave no indication if it might help to cut debts that have plunged the Indian Ocean island nation into … more

By JOE McDONALD and BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI | 2/15/23

FILE -- A Lufthansa aircraft rolls to the parking position at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. German airline Lufthansa suffered a major disruption to its computer systems Wednesday, causing delays and cancelations at its main hub in Frankfurt. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)

IT problems disrupt Lufthansa flights at Frankfurt Airport

A major disruption to the computer systems of German airline Lufthansa is causing delays and cancelations at its main hub in Frankfurt and beyond. The airline said in a statement Wednesday that … more

2/15/23