Anti-smoking advocates are calling on Nevada gaming officials to put an end to smoking inside casinos and gambling establishments.

In an open letter Thursday to the Nevada Gaming Commission, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights took aim at what it perceives is the casino industry’s seemingly conflicted stance when it comes to allowing indoor ...Read more

Major social media platforms and video streaming services that gather a "staggering" amount of data from its users have failed to protect young people and safeguard online privacy, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.

"These surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms,...Read more

General Motors Co.'s Cruise LLC self-driving auto business is back on the roads in the Bay Area with mapping vehicles almost a year after a pedestrian accident there halted operations nationwide.

Cruise said Thursday it's deploying manual mapping vehicles in Sunnyvale and Mountain View and intends to progress to supervised testing with up to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Amazon MGM Studios will soon join the Motion Picture Association, the lobbying arm of Hollywood's major studios announced Thursday.

The Seattle-based tech and retail giant — which distributes content via its theatrical arm, Amazon MGM, and its streaming service, Prime Video — will officially become the seventh member of the ...Read more

Mortgage rates continued their decline, hitting the lowest level since early February 2023.

The average for a 30-year, fixed loan was 6.09%, down from 6.2% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday.

Borrowing costs have fallen significantly in recent weeks in anticipation of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The central bank...Read more

Amazon launched a new AI-powered personal assistant for third-party vendors Thursday, one of many new features the company rolled out for its independent sellers this week.

The assistant, internally called Project Amelia, answers questions for sellers, offers advice and, down the line, will diagnose problems and take action.

Amazon has already...Read more

For many prospective homebuyers, the last two years have been brutal as high home prices and mortgage rates produced the most unaffordable housing market since the 2000s bubble.

Many experts don't expect drastic improvement soon, but a shift could finally be underway.

The cost of a 30-year fixed mortgage has fallen from above 7% in May to the ...Read more

Frontier Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike over a business model change they say has resulted in less pay, the Association of Flight Attendants announced Wednesday.

The vote was spurred by the Denver-based airline switching to a business model that includes more one-day trips and fewer multi-day trips for flight attendants,...Read more

Apple Inc. has been warned by the European Union to open up its highly guarded iPhone and iPad operating systems to rival technologies, or eventually risk significant fines under its flagship digital antitrust rules.

EU watchdogs announced under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act that Apple must step into line with strict new laws on making ...Read more

Walmart Inc. customers will soon have the option to pay directly from their bank accounts with instant transfers for online purchases. The enhanced feature is a flash point in the escalating tensions between merchants and the card networks setting the fees for payment processing.

The world’s largest retailer has offered pay-by-bank through ...Read more

One of the world’s largest drug manufacturers is suing a small east metro wellness center over the way it marketed and sold a compounded, off-brand version of its blockbuster weight-loss medications.

Novo Nordisk filed its lawsuit this month in U.S. District Court, accusing the Minnesota Vitality and Anti-Aging Center of false advertising and...Read more

On the heels of announcing the sale of Yoplait, General Mills is looking to replace the under-performing brand with a grab-and-go acquisition.

The Minnesota-based maker of Cheerios and Totino’s is seeking possible additions to its pet food, snacking or food-service portfolio, areas of strong growth for a company struggling to expand its sales...Read more

LANSING, Michigan — Michigan’s $10.33 hourly minimum wage should increase to $12.48 an hour on Feb. 21, the Michigan Supreme Court said in a Wednesday order that clarified the timeline for a phase-in of a $15 minimum wage.

The order came after the high court majority on July 31 ruled a strategy used to curb minimum wage and paid sick leave ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. House lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would force automakers to install AM radio in all new cars.

The measure, titled the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, advanced through the House Committee on Energy and Commerce with broad bipartisan support. The only lawmaker to express outspoken opposition was ...Read more

The United Auto Workers said Wednesday it'll strike the tool and die unit at Ford Motor Co.'s Rouge Complex next week if local contract issues aren't resolved.

More than a year has passed since the deadline to reach a new local agreement between the Dearborn automaker and the unit of roughly 500 workers represented by UAW Local 600 in Dearborn....Read more

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan and executive chairman Gary Kelly would be long gone by now if one vocal activist investor had its way, one of the airline’s unions told members this week.

“... Elliott advised that its preference would be for board chair Gary Kelly to exit his position sooner than the announced departure at next spring’...Read more

Lionsgate will work with artificial intelligence research company Runway to create and train a new artificial intelligence model customized to the “Hunger Games” and “John Wick” studio’s film and TV content, marking the AI company’s first collaboration with a Hollywood studio.

The model will generate cinematic video that can then be...Read more