National Business - The Morning Sun

Facebook parent Meta posts solid 1Q results, stock soars

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Facebook parent company Meta’s first-quarter results surpassed Wall Street’s modest expectations on both profit and revenue while the monthly user base of its flagship platform inched close to 3 … more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY | 4/26/23

FILE - Visitors passing an advertisement for the video game 'Call of Duty' at the Gamescom fair for computer games in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. British regulators have blocked Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy videogame maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Explainer: Is Microsoft still buying Activision Blizzard?

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It’s not “game over” yet for Microsoft’s quest to buy the video game maker Activision Blizzard, but the software giant is starting to run out of clear pathways to complete its $69 billion … more

By MATT O'BRIEN | 4/26/23

Amazon axes 'Halo' fitness devices in cost-cutting move

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Amazon is winding down its health-focused Halo devices and membership as the tech giant continues to cut costs. The company told customers on Wednesday that it will issue refunds to anyone who … more

By HALELUYA HADERO | 4/26/23

Tony Chambers, the head of theatrical distribution for Disney Entertainment, addresses the audience during the Walt Disney Studios presentation at CinemaCon 2023, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) at Caesars Palace, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Amid layoffs, Disney touts upcoming film slate at CinemaCon

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The leadership team of the Walt Disney Company’s film arm gathered in Las Vegas Wednesday to tout its successes and upcoming slate of films to a crowd of theater owners and exhibitors amid a week … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/26/23

FILE - Mark Totten, Democratic candidate for Michigan attorney general, gives his concession speech during an election night rally in Detroit, Nov. 4, 2014. Eleven people have been charged in Michigan in a scheme to evade air-pollution rules by tampering with software and hardware in heavy-duty diesel engines, federal authorities said Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Nine of the 11 have agreed to plead guilty, along with three companies, including Diesel Freak LLC, Accurate Truck Service and Griffin Transportation. Diesel Freak rigged at least 362 vehicles and some “are still on the road,” U.S. Attorney Totten said. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

US files charges in Michigan over diesel engine tampering

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Federal authorities in Michigan have filed charges against 11 people in a scheme to defeat air-pollution rules by tampering with software and hardware in heavy-duty diesel engines. Records show nine … more

By ED WHITE | 4/26/23

FILE - This aerial image from video provided by KSTP-TV in Minneapolis shows smoke rising from the Husky Energy oil refinery after an explosion, April 26, 2018, at the plant in Superior, Wis. Wisconsin's only oil refinery is on track to be fully operational in June 2023 after a $1.2 billion effort to rebuild the facility five years following an explosion. The 2018 explosion and subsequent fires at the facility then-owned by Calgary-based Husky Energy in Superior injured three dozen workers and fears of a hydrofluoric acid leak caused 2,500 people in the city to evacuate. (KSTP-TV via AP, File)

Wisconsin's only oil refinery to reopen after 2018 explosion

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Wisconsin’s only oil refinery is on track to be fully operational in June after a $1.2 billion effort to rebuild the facility five years following an explosion. The 2018 explosion and subsequent … more

4/26/23

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak prepares to take a sip of water during a press conference following the launch of new legislation on migrant channel crossings at Downing Street, London, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. A sweeping British bill that will dramatically curb migrants’ ability to seek asylum in the U.K. is duel to be approved by lawmakers on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, despite critics’ allegations that it breaks international law. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

UK House of Commons set to back controversial migration bill

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A sweeping British bill that will dramatically curb migrants’ ability to seek asylum in the U.K. is due to be approved by lawmakers. That's despite critics’ allegations that it breaks … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 4/26/23

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters following a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., struggles to round up the votes for his sweeping debt ceiling package, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

What's in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending

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House Republicans are pushing their top priorities in a bill to raise the debt limit. The GOP bill coming up for a vote in the House would suspend the federal debt limit through March 31 and allow … more

By KEVIN FREKING | 4/26/23

Chernobyl's nuclear power plant workers lay flowers at a monument to the victims of the Chernobyl tragedy during a memorial ceremony in Chernobyl, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday used the 37th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster to repeat his warnings about the potential threat of a new atomic catastrophe in Ukraine amid his country's war with Russia. (AP Photo/Wladyslaw Musiienko)

Ukrainians mark Chernobyl disaster amid nuclear threats

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Workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have marked the 37th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster amid an ongoing war and nuclear threats. They somberly laid flowers at a monument … more

By VASILISA STEPANENKO | 4/26/23

Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte, left, and Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar smile during the North Sea Summit in Ostend, Belgium, Monday, April 24, 2023. Leaders gather on Monday in the hopes of expanding a collective ambition to harness the full energy and industrial potential of the North Sea and make it the largest powerhouse of Europe by 2050. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Dutch government outlines new package to reduce emissions

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The Dutch government has unveiled a new package to slash carbon emissions by promoting clean energy, sustainable homes and industry and the use of electric cars among other a raft of measures to … more

By MIKE CORDER | 4/26/23

Julie Su speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation hearing for her to be the Labor Secretary, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Senate committeee advances Biden labor secretary nominee

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President Joe Biden’s nomination for the next labor secretary, Julie Su, has advanced through a Senate committee. But a handful of Democrats are withholding support, creating uncertainty ahead of a … more

By STEPHEN GROVES | 4/26/23

This 2021 handout image provided by the Viessmann company shows the company's headquarters in Allendorf, Germany. Germany’s Viessmann Group is selling its business with heat pumps, viewed as a key technology in making heating more climate-friendly, to Florida-based Carrier Global Corp. as part of a 12 billion-euro ($13.2 billion) deal. (Viessmann via AP)

German company sells heat pump business to US firm Carrier

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Germany’s Viessmann Group is selling its heat pump business, viewed as a key technology in making heating more climate-friendly, to Florida-based Carrier Global Corp. as part of a 12 billion-euro … more

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS | 4/26/23

President Joe Biden speaks at the North America's Building Trades Union National Legislative Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Biden casts himself as defender of freedom in 2024 ad pitch

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President Joe Biden is casting himself as a defender of freedom in his first campaign ad since launching his 2024 reelection bid. The television ad released Wednesday will air in Arizona, Georgia, … more

By ZEKE MILLER | 4/26/23

FILE - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks to US army soldiers while visiting Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. On Wednesday April 26, 2023, the Czech government agreed to sign a defense military treaty with the United States. The treaty will set a legal framework for possible deployment of U.S. troops on Czech territory and their cooperation with the Czech armed forces. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

Czech government approves defense agreement with US

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The Czech government has approved a defense military treaty with the United States. The Defense Cooperation Agreement that was greenlighted on Wednesday sets a legal framework for possible deployment … more

4/26/23

FILE - A Norfolk Southern freight train makes it way through Homestead, Pa. on April 27, 2022. Norfolk Southern reports earnings on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Norfolk Southern estimates that Ohio derailment cost $387M

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Norfolk Southern said it expects February's fiery Ohio derailment to cost it $387 million, but that total will likely increase over time and that doesn't reflect how much the railroad's insurance … more

By JOSH FUNK | 4/26/23

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, left, attend the cabinet meeting of the German government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German government doubles 2023 growth forecast to 0.4%

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The German government has doubled its growth forecast this year for the Europe’s largest economy after the country made it through the winter without major energy problems. It said Wednesday that … more

4/26/23

FILE - Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy speaks during an event at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, April 17, 2023. McCarthy is hurtling toward one of the most consequential weeks of the new House Republican majority as he labors to pass a partisan package that would raise the nation's debt limit by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep cuts that some in his own party oppose. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

McCarthy struggles for debt bill votes, makes late changes

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House Republicans made post-midnight changes to their sweeping debt ceiling package to win over holdouts. Facing a revolt from Midwestern Republicans over doing away with biofuel tax credits that … more

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING | 4/26/23

Boeing loses $425 million but plans production boost for Max

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Boeing says it lost $425 million in the first quarter as it continues to deal with production problems on its airline jets. The loss is more than Wall Street expected. Boeing said Wednesday that … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 4/26/23

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2005, file photo, visitors walk in the gardens at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. One of the earliest portraits of a person of color by a British artist will remain on public display after London’s National Portrait Gallery and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles struck a 50 million-pound ($62 million) deal to buy it. The two institutions announced Wednesday, April 26, 2023, they had each pitched in 25 million pounds to acquire Joshua Reynolds’ depiction of an 18th-century Polynesian man, “Portrait of Mai.” The seven-foot high (2.1-meter) painting is considered a masterpiece by the renowned portrait artist and is the first known grand depiction of a nonwhite subject in British art. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File)

US, UK galleries buy masterpiece 'Portrait of Mai' for $62M

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One of the earliest portraits of a person of color by a British artist will remain on public display after London’s National Portrait Gallery and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles struck a 50 … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 4/26/23

FILE - The Activision Blizzard Booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, June 13, 2013. British regulators have blocked Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy videogame maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market.. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

UK blocks Microsoft's Activision deal over competition fears

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British regulators have blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. The Competition … more

LONDON | 4/26/23