Federal prosecutors drop criminal probe into ex-WWE boss Vince McMahon, his lawyer says
Federal prosecutors have ended their criminal investigation into whether former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO and chairman Vince McMahon tried to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct with multiple former employees, his lawyer said Tuesday. “We have been in consistent communication with the government … and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges,” McMahon’s attorney Robert W. Allen said in a statement.
Grocery stores are rationing eggs as supply falls and prices rise
Egg rationing is here. With prices rising rapidly and showing no signs of slowing anytime soon, some of the nation’s biggest grocery store chains — including Trader Joe's, Walmart and Costco — have begun limiting the amount of eggs individual consumers can buy. This time last year, the average price for a dozen eggs was around $3, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By last month, it had risen to around $5.
Apple and Google bring TikTok back to their U.S. app stores
Apple and Google have made TikTok available on their U.S. app stores again, they said Thursday evening. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, disappeared from both stores in the United States on Jan. 18, hours before a ban on the social media app was set to go into effect. It had remained unavailable to download on both Apple's App Store and Google's Play store until Thursday. However, users who had previously downloaded it could continue to use it.
As retailers drop DEI programs, Black founders could face obstacles to staying on shelves
Fragrance brand Brown Girl Jane’s perfume bottles sit on shelves at Sephora near some of the most storied labels in the fashion and beauty world, including Prada and Dior. For the Black-owned brand, getting a retailer to bet on it was just the start, Brown Girl Jane CEO and co-founder Malaika Jones said. She said Sephora has supported the company so it can better compete with well-known brands with huge marketing budgets and glossy celebrity endorsements.
Google AI chief tells employees company has 'all the ingredients' to hold AI lead over China's DeepSeek
Google’s AI chief told employees that he’s not worried about China’s DeepSeek and said the search giant has superior artificial intelligence technology, according to audio of an all-hands meeting in Paris on Wednesday. At the meeting, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai read aloud a question about DeepSeek, the Chinese start-up lab that roiled U.S. markets recently, when its app shot to the top of the Apple’s App Store, supplanting ChatGPT. DeepSeek released a research paper last month claiming its AI model was trained at a fraction of the cost of other leading models.
Retail sales slumped 0.9% in January, down much more than expected
Consumers sharply curtailed their spending in January, indicating a potential weakening in economic growth ahead, according to a Commerce Department report Friday. Retail sales slipped 0.9% for the month from an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in December, even worse than the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.2% decline. The sales totals are adjusted for seasonality but not inflation for a month, in which prices rose 0.5%.
The market continues to broaden out as investors ignore tariff and inflation threats
It’s another day with more stocks up than down. The ratio Friday is almost 3:1, advancing stocks to declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange. It’s 2:1 on Nasdaq. You’d think with two huge overhangs to the market — Federal Reserve policy uncertainty and tariffs — stocks would be in difficult shape, but that’s not happening. Tech is lagging. You’d think that with the S&P 500 up 4% on the year, tech would again be the leader, but most of the best performing technology stocks last year are underperforming, with only Meta a strong standout.
Will tariffs reduce trade deficits? Experts weigh in
President Donald Trump has spent his first few weeks in office rolling out his trade agenda, which has thus far focused on increasing tariffs. Part of that strategy is Trump's belief that tariffs will help reduce trade deficits. After his initial announcement of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, Trump said the countries "have to balance out their trade" with the U.S. for him to consider not implementing those tariffs, which are currently delayed until at least March after the two countries announced border security measures. "We have deficits with almost every country – not every country, but almost – and we're going to change it," the president added about America's broader trade deficit. Trump has also announced higher tariffs on products imported from China and is planning to impose reciprocal tariffs on foreign trading partners after a review that's expected to conclude by April 1.
Court blocks Biden admin's airline fee transparency rule: What passengers should know
The Department of Transportation (DOT), which argued that travelers were overpaying for their fares due to the so-called "junk fees," claimed in a report that the rule would have saved consumers more than $500 million annually. In contrast, the trade group for the country's largest airlines contended that there was nothing in the department's findings that proved the rule would help consumers, even saying that it would interfere with airlines' efforts to meet customer needs. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit didn't side with either argument. Instead, it ruled that the DOT "failed to fully comply with the requirements" under the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. The court still upheld the department’s right to impose such rules and instead sent the matter back to the DOT so airlines and others could comment on the cost savings that the department estimated would benefit passengers by making certain fees more transparent.
Apple and Google restore ability to download TikTok app
Apple and Google have restored access to the TikTok app after removing it briefly last month. The app was removed from mobile stores to comply with a ban on the social media platform following a requirement for the Chinese technology company ByteDance to sell or shut it down. At issue was the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law passed by Congress last April with wide bipartisan support. The law gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services.