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Michael Hiltzik: Serious backlash to a Netflix/Warner Bros deal may come from European regulators

Business / Business News /

If you're looking for where the most crucial governmental backlash to a merger deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery, you might want to turn your attention east — to Europe, where regulators are girding to take an early look at any such deal.

Both of the leading bidders — Netflix, which has the blessing of the WBD board, and Paramount, ...Read more

Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Medline survives tariffs, delays on road to biggest US 2025 IPO

Business / Business News /

Medline Inc.’s long-delayed initial public offering is on track to raise the most of any listing this year, as investors keen on the medical supply company’s business model look past its rocky path back to the public markets.

The company, which was taken private in 2021 by Blackstone Inc., Carlyle Group Inc. and Hellman & Friedman in a $34 ...Read more

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Citadel leaves Chicago tower as city alarmed by 'job killer' tax

Business / Business News /

Citadel is shrinking its footprint in Chicago three years after billionaire owner Ken Griffin left for Florida, moving the company’s remaining operations in the city out of the downtown tower that was named for it, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company, which also shifted its headquarters to Miami in 2022, is relocating ...Read more

Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune/TNS

No degree, no job? Tighter labor market leaves many with fewer options

Business / Business News /

Cheryl Wilson’s résumé is near perfect.

She has worked all her life, notching decades of experience at back-to-back corporate jobs that often tapped her to train new hires.

But after a software company laid her off two years ago, the 64-year-old has struggled to land a new job for the first time in her career.

Because for all her ...Read more

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PayPal applies to become a bank as US loosens regulatory reins

Business / Business News /

PayPal Holdings Inc. applied to become a bank in the U.S., looking to take advantage of the Trump administration’s openness to financial-technology companies entering the banking system.

The payments-focused firm submitted applications to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions to form a Utah-...Read more

Jon Cherry/Getty Images North America/TNS

UPS buys hundreds of robots to unload trucks in automation push

Business / Business News /

United Parcel Service Inc. will invest $120 million in 400 robots used to unload trucks, according to people familiar with the matter, revealing new details on the logistics giant’s $9 billion automation plan that aims to boost profits by decreasing labor costs.

Unloading trucks and shipping containers at warehouse docks is mostly done by ...Read more

Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Ford to redeploy EV unit plants for gas, hybrid and energy storage products

Business / Business News /

In a major move away from electric vehicles, Ford Motor Co. will take a majority of $19.5 billion in special charges in the fourth quarter of 2025 as it restructures its Model e division to be profitable by 2029 and reutilizes EV plants for other applications.

The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker will focus on higher-return products and businesses...Read more

Maggie Zou/Resorts World/TNS

NY gives final approval to three NYC casinos, but with a warning

Business / Business News /

The die is cast, with New York City getting three outer-borough casinos after a pivotal final vote Monday.

In an expected move, the New York State Gaming Commission decided to grant licenses to the single Bronx and two Queens applications during a meeting at Riverbank State Park in Manhattan. The winners are Genting Group’s existing Resorts ...Read more

Rolandas Grigaitis/Dreamstime/TNS

What happens to Roombas now that the company has declared bankruptcy?

Business / Business News /

Roomba maker IRobot filed for bankruptcy and will go private after being acquired by its Chinese supplier Picea Robotics.

Founded 35 years ago, the Massachusetts company pioneered the development of home vacuum robots and grew to become one of the most recognizable American consumer brands.

Over the years, it lost ground to Chinese competitors...Read more

Henry Payne, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Jeep plug-in hybrid owners have 'trust issues' after latest recalls

Business / Business News /

Jeep's popular plug-in hybrids have been hit with multiple serious recalls in recent months, and owners — a loyal group who often trade tips and photos of their rigs online — are getting increasingly fed up.

First came an over-the-air software update glitch in mid-October that led to many Wrangler 4xe drivers suddenly losing power on the ...Read more

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11 AI-powered apps that help you save money

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Most Americans feel uncomfortable with their emergency savings — and for good reason. According to Bankrate’s latest research, building a financial cushion feels impossible when you’re drowning in forgotten subscriptions, overpaying for everything and manually tracking expenses that slip through the cracks.

AI-powered finance apps solve ...Read more

Jim Watson/Getty Images North America/TNS

The Fed cut interest rates again. We asked 5 experts what Americans should do next

Business / Business News /

The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates again at its final meeting of the year, signaling that Chair Jerome Powell was able to guide his deeply divided committee toward a consensus over how to manage an economy suffering from both higher inflation and unemployment.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in December reduced its benchmark ...Read more

Pratchaya Leelapatchayanont/Dreamstime/TNS

Private health insurance costs are going up. A complete guide to your coverage options

Business / Business News /

Private health insurance premiums will be going up in 2026 — in some cases, by a lot.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on health care reform, following disagreements over America’s health insurance marketplace that contributed to November’s government shutdown. At the heart of the issue is the extension of the ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Alaska Airlines launches Starlink Wi-Fi systems on Embraer planes

Business / Business News /

More than a decade after introducing in-flight Wi-Fi, airlines are turning to the next wave of sky-high connectivity.

Airlines are tapping into satellite technology to make in-flight internet faster, harnessing the power of low Earth orbit satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, now officially called Leo.

Several ...Read more

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Tata and Infosys to bear brunt of Trump's $100,000 H-1B worker fee

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump’s $100,000 price tag for new H-1B workers hired from outside the U.S. will have punishing effects for the IT outsourcing and staffing industries that have long been a target of both parties.

The fee is the biggest restriction the Trump administration has imposed so far on employment of skilled foreign workers.

A ...Read more

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Warner Bros. is blockbuster finale to $4.5 trillion M&A haul

Business / Business News /

Dealmakers are heading into the final weeks of 2025 on a $100 billion cliffhanger.

Paramount Skydance Corp.’s hostile bid to snatch Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. from under the nose of Netflix Inc. encapsulates the themes that have shaped a banner year for mergers and acquisitions: renewed desire for transformative tie-ups, massive checks from ...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

As Netflix and Paramount circle Warner Bros. Discovery, Hollywood unions voice alarm

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — The sale of Warner Bros. — whether in pieces to Netflix or in its entirety to Paramount — is stirring mounting worries among Hollywood union leaders about the possible fallout for their members.

Unions representing writers, directors, actors and crew workers have voiced growing concerns that further consolidation in the ...Read more

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

What happens to CNN if President Trump gets his way?

Business / Business News /

President Donald Trump wants a very different kind of CNN if the cable news channel's parent Warner Bros. Discovery changes hands.

As details emerge in the battle between Netflix and Paramount over control of the historic movie studio and its streaming and TV assets, Trump has made it clear he wants new ownership and leadership at the network ...Read more

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Paramount's $54 billion debt plays a starring role in Warner bid

Business / Business News /

Even if Paramount Skydance Corp. manages to take over Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. against the company’s will, it faces another high hurdle: coping with the colossal $54 billion of debt it’s planning to take on.

Paramount has a temporary financing package in place for the combined company, but it hasn’t locked in a maximum rate on more ...Read more

Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

'Blood surrounding him': Report details horrific Epic Universe death

Business / Business News /

ORLANDO, Florida — As the Stardust Racers roller coaster sped downward in the first descent of a mid-September ride, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was flung forward, his head slamming into the seat in front of him repeatedly. Blood from his wounds splattered his girlfriend, who tried to hold him back while screaming for help.

Dr. Anna Marshall, a ...Read more