National Business - The Morning Sun

FILE - A for sale sign is posted in front of a home in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, March 3, 2022. HomeServices of America, a real estate company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, has agreed to pay $250 million to settle lawsuits nationwide claiming that longstanding practices by real estate brokerages forced U.S. homeowners to pay artificially inflated broker commissions when they sold their homes. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Berkshire Hathaway's real estate firm to pay $250 million to settle real estate commission lawsuits

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A real estate company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to pay $250 million to settle lawsuits nationwide. The lawsuits claimed that longstanding practices by real estate … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 4/26/24

FILE - The Internal Revenue Service 1040 tax form for 2022 is seen on April 17, 2023. The IRS said Friday, April 26, 2024, more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program. It says the program's users claimed more than $90 million in refunds, saving roughly $5.6 million in fees they would have spent with commercial tax preparation companies. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)

140,000 people did their taxes with the free IRS direct file pilot. But program's future is unclear

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The IRS says more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program. It says the program’s users claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved roughly $5.6 … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 4/26/24

FILE - Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co., listens during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing to examine Wall Street firms on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 in Washington. Dimon says stagflation could be one of a number of possible outcomes for the economy as the Federal Reserve attempts to tame stubbornly high consumer prices, Friday, April 26, 2024.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

JPMorgan's Dimon hopes for soft landing for US economy but says stagflation is a possible scenario

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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he’s hopeful the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation without causing a recession but wouldn’t rule out more troubling possibilities, such as stagflation. In an … more

By KEN SWEET | 4/26/24

The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The protests over the Israel-Hamas war put a spotlight on college endowments

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One of the demands of antiwar protestors on college campuses is for their schools to divest their endowments from companies that are profiting from Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Endowments … more

By THALIA BEATY | 4/26/24

A clearance sign is displayed at a retail clothing store in Downers Grove, Ill., Monday, April 1, 2024. On Friday, April 26, 2024, the Commerce Department issues its March report on consumer spending. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Fed's preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures stayed elevated last month

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A measure of inflation closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained uncomfortably high in March, likely reinforcing the Fed’s reluctance to cut interest rates anytime soon and underscoring a … more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER | 4/26/24

FILE - Representatives of the Turkish communities put flowers over a memorial placed on the spot of Sunday's explosion on Istanbul's popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Alham Albashir, alleged bomber of a deadly blast killing six and injuring 99, received 7 consecutive life sentences by an Istanbul court on Friday, April 26, 2024, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

A Turkish court sentences a Syrian woman to life in prison for a bombing in Istanbul in 2022

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Turkey’s state-run news agency has reported that a court sentenced a Syrian woman to life in prison for a deadly explosion on a busy shopping district in Istanbul in 2022. Alham Albashir was given … more

4/26/24

FILE - Delegates meet at the Exxon Mobil booth during the LNG2023 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Exxon Mobil reports their earnings Friday, April 26, 2024. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Exxon Mobil profit declines in 1st quarter as natural gas prices fall

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Exxon Mobil’s profit declined in its first quarter as natural gas prices fell and industry refining margins dropped. The energy company earned $8.22 billion, or $2.06 per share for the three months … more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN | 4/26/24

US probes whether recall of Tesla Autopilot driving system did enough to make sure drivers attention

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The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating whether last year’s recall of Tesla’s Autopilot driving system did enough to make sure drivers pay attention to the road. The National … more

By TOM KRISHER | 4/26/24

A TikTok content creator, speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington, as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

These are the countries where TikTok is already banned

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TikTok is banned in a handful of countries and not allowed on government-issued devices in a number of others. That's due to official worries that the popular video-sharing app poses privacy and … more

By KELVIN CHAN | 4/26/24

Visitors sit inside a Zeekr Mix car during the China Auto Show in Beijing, China, Friday, April 26, 2024. China's vision of the future of the automobile electrified and digitally connected is on display at the ongoing Beijing auto show. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

5 cars from the Beijing auto show that reflect China's vision for the future of driving

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China’s vision of the future of the automobile — electrified and digitally connected — is on display at the ongoing Beijing auto show. Organizers say that 117 new models are making their debut … more

By KEN MORITSUGU | 4/26/24

FILE - A sign for The New York Times hangs above the entrance to its building, May 6, 2021, in New York. In spring 2024, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with turmoil for essentially the same reason: journalists taking the critical gaze they deploy to cover the world and turning it inward at their own employers. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Journalists critical of their own companies cause headaches for news organizations

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Journalists see themselves as truth-tellers, and sometimes as contrarians. That fuels news organizations, but it also can bite back. Internal turmoil this spring at NBC News, NPR and The New York … more

By DAVID BAUDER | 4/26/24

FILE - Tarana Burke, founder and leader of the #MeToo movement, sits in her home in Baltimore on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)

‘The movement will persist’: Advocates stress Weinstein reversal doesn’t derail #MeToo reckoning

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Harvey Weinstein's accusers and their advocates were shocked and angered by an appellate court’s decision to overturn the ex-movie mogul’s 2020 rape conviction. But #MeToo advocates also sought … more

By JOCELYN NOVECK | 4/26/24

Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions

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Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable. Just ask a hardy band of mostly amateur investors who have collectively made tens of millions over the past month by betting that the … more

By BERNARD CONDON | 4/26/24

Trading Trump: Truth Social's first month of trading has sent investors on a ride

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With Donald Trump facing dozens of federal criminal charges and hundreds of millions in legal expenses, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. went public on the Nasdaq exchange March 26. Its … more

By MARTHA MENDOZA | 4/26/24

Dietary supplements are displayed at a store in New York, Thursday, April 25, 2024. It's now illegal to sell weight loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York. The first-in-the-nation law went into effect this week. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Selling weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York is now illegal

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It's now illegal to sell weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York. The first-in-the-nation law went into effect this week. Experts say loose federal regulation of dietary … more

By MAYSOON KHAN | 4/25/24

Microsoft quarterly profit rises 20% as tech giant pushes to get customers using AI products

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Microsoft has reported that its profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a leader in applying artificial intelligence technology to make workplaces more … more

By MATT O'BRIEN | 4/25/24

Google parent reports another quarter of accelerating growth and its stock price soars

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Google’s corporate parent Alphabet Inc. has released a quarterly report showing it’s still reaping double-digit revenue gains from its digital advertising empire while sowing potentially … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 4/25/24

This July 29, 2013, photo shows a case of freshly-stamped Marlboro cigarette cartons at M. Amundson Cigar & Candy Co. in Minneapolis. Smokers in Minneapolis will pay some of the highest cigarette prices in the country after the City Council voted unanimously Thursday, april 25, 2024 to impose a minimum retail price of $15 per pack to promote public health. (Mark Zdechlik/Minnesota Public Radio via AP, file)

Minneapolis smokers to pay some of the highest cigarette prices in US with a $15 per-pack minimum

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Smokers in Minneapolis will pay some of the highest cigarette prices in the country after the City Council voted unanimously to impose a minimum retail price of $15 per pack to promote public health. … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 4/25/24

FILE - The seal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seen before an FCC meeting to vote on net neutrality, Dec. 14, 2017, in Washington. The FCC on Thursday, April 25, 2024 restored “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and AT&T from favoring some sites and apps over others.. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers

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The FCC on Thursday restored rules to prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and AT&T from favoring some sites and apps over others — for instance, by slowing or blocking certain … more

By DAVID HAMILTON | 4/25/24

Mining giant BHP Billiton makes $39 billion bid for Anglo American to expand copper operations

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Shares in U.K.-based mining giant Anglo American have surged after it received a 31 billion-pound ($39 billion) takeover bid from rival BHP Billiton. The deal would create the world’s biggest … more

By PAN PYLAS | 4/25/24