Новости за 08.05.2024

Georgia lawmakers vowed they were going to rein in tax breaks for businesses this year, but their efforts came to nothing. Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday vetoed a bill to pause for two years a sales tax exemption the state gives for building and equipping computer data centers. Kemp’s veto shows how hard it is to root out tax breaks. The dispute in Georgia mirrors fights in states including Virginia, where data centers are sparking a backlash. So many data centers are opening in Georgia that it’s causing a drain on the power grid. Читать дальше...

An Iowa facility is closing after federal investigators said it violated patients' rights. The Des Moines Register reports that the 28 residents at the state-run Glenwood Resource Center for people with intellectual disabilities will be moved out by the end of June. The facility's 235 staff members have been notified that they will be laid off. The U.S. Department of Justice said Iowa likely violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide services that integrate patients into their communities. Читать дальше...

Severe storms are battering parts of the Midwest with heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes that forecasters warn could spill out of the region. The severe weather outbreak started Tuesday and continued into Wednesday. Tornadoes were reported after dark Tuesday in southwestern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. Two reported tornadoes struck in and near a Michigan city near Kalamazoo and shredded a FedEx facility. Officials say no serious injuries were immediately reported. The National... Читать дальше...

Police using pepper spray cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University and arrested demonstrators early Wednesday.

Many current and former BetterHelp customers have begun receiving refund eligibility notices spanning from a $7.8 million settlement reached with the online therapy provider last year over allegations that it shared sensitive health data with advertisers. In 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission charged California-based BetterHelp with disclosing consumer data it had promised to keep private — including information about mental health challenges — with companies like Facebook and Snapchat for advertising purposes. Читать дальше...

The Prada Group is expanding its production footprint in Italy, including dozens of new jobs at its knitwear factory in Umbria, leaning into “Made in Italy” as integral to the brand’s ethos. It's also developing new artisanal talent to ease the luxury group through a generational shift in its management. Prada CEO Andrea Guerra, who was brought in last year as part of the generational change in family-run Prada’s management, said at an unveiling of the plant that the company is investing 60 million euros in production this year.

President Joe Biden is racing into yet another battleground state. Biden on Wednesday is traveling to Racine, Wisconsin, where he’ll highlight a decision by Microsoft to build a $3.3 billion data center that's expected to create roughly 2,000 jobs. It’s also the spot where former President Donald Trump lauded a plan by Taiwan-based electronics giant Foxconn to build a $10 billion manufacturing facility that was supposed to eventually employ 10,000 people. Except it was never built. The Democratic... Читать дальше...

Mexico has begun requiring visas for Peruvians in response to a major influx of migrants from the South American country. The move follows identical ones for Venezuelans, Ecuadorians and Brazilians. It effectively eliminates the option of flying to a Mexican city near the U.S. border. U.S. officials have applauded Mexico’s crackdown on air travel from Peru and call visa requirements an important tool to jointly confront illegal migration. For critics, shutting down air travel only encourages more dangerous choices. Читать дальше...

Disney has received a key approval to expand its Southern California theme parks in its first push to make major changes to its iconic Disneyland in decades. The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the plan to transform Disney’s 490-acre campus by moving parking and redeveloping a massive lot with new entertainment and rides. It was a second, required vote for the plan after the council gave initial approval last month. The proposal doesn’t expand the parks’ physical footprint but will help Disney create new... Читать дальше...

Asian shares are mixed after U.S. stocks held relatively steady on Wall Street. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 1.5% but most other markets saw modest changes. The yen weakened further against the U.S. dollar. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.1% in its fourth straight gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1%. Kenvue, the company behind Band-Aids and Tylenol, rose after topping analysts’ forecasts for profit and revenue. The Walt Disney Co. sank after reporting revenue that fell a bit shy of forecasts. Читать дальше...

Toyota has reported that its profit for the fiscal year that ended in March doubled over a year earlier, as strong vehicles sales and a favorable exchange rate lifted results for Japan’s top automaker. Toyota said Wednesday that its profit in the last fiscal year totaled 4.9 trillion yen, or $31.9 billion, while sales jumped 21%. Global sales surged to 9.4 million vehicles from 8.8 million vehicles in the year before. Hybrid sales were especially strong. A weak yen worked as a big plus for the maker of the Camry sedan... Читать дальше...

Thousands of Taylor Swift fans are following her across the pond after missing out on her U.S. concert tour last year or being put off by marked-up ticket prices. Swift is kicking off the 18-city Europe leg of her Eras Tour on Thursday. The Paris arena where she is performing says Americans bought 20% of the tickets. The Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm says about 10,000 people are coming from the U.S. for her shows. Some fans say they justified the expense after noticing that tighter restrictions... Читать дальше...

The decision by Boy Scouts of America to rebrand after 114 years and become Scouting America marks another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change. With flagging membership numbers, the Texas-based organization is leaning into a more inclusive message as it emerges from a long stretch of turmoil that includes bankruptcy and a flood of sexual abuse claims. The change was announced Tuesday at the Boy Scout’s national meeting in Florida but won’t take effect until February.

A settlement has been reached in a civil lawsuit seeking damages from a 23-year-old man and his parents in the shooting of a Native American activist in northern New Mexico amid confrontations about a statue of a Spanish conquistador and aborted plans to reinstall it in public. The settlement was disclosed Tuesday in court documents. The shooting in September 2023 severely wounded Jacob Johns of Spokane, Washington, and set off chaos at an outdoor gathering over canceled plans to install a bronze likeness of conquistador Juan de Oñate. Читать дальше...

Panera Bread said it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content. Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether the drinks were being discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns. It also wouldn’t comment on the timeline for removing them from stores. The St. Louis-based company introduced Charged Sips in the spring of 2022. In the fall of 2023, Panera was sued by the families of two people with heart conditions... Читать дальше...

Severe storms have battered parts of the Midwest, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes in the region. Tuesday's severe weather outbreak comes one day after a deadly twister ripped through a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person. Tornadoes were spotted after dark Tuesday in southwestern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. Forecasters warn that the storms could stretch late into the night as portions of the three states were under a tornado watch. Читать дальше...

Transgender activists have flooded a Utah tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of a new bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports. The online portal already has received more than 10,000 submissions in its first week. The state auditor says none seem legitimate. Trans activists say the fake submissions are a form of peaceful protest meant to shield trans people who might be reported for possible violations. Their efforts mark the latest attempt by advocates to shut down... Читать дальше...

A panel of federal judges say the Louisiana Legislature must pass a new election map by June 3 or face having the court impose one on the state. The order on Tuesday came from a panel that recently threw out a congressional election map giving the state a second mostly Black district. Lawmakers are meeting in Baton Rouge, in a regular session that will end by June 3. The judges said they would begin work on a remedial plan of their own while giving lawmakers a chance to come up with a plan. Voting... Читать дальше...

Seven more Republican states are suing to challenge a new federal regulation to protect transgender student rights. The GOP lawsuits were filed in federal courts in Missouri and Oklahoma, but Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota are also plaintiffs in the Missouri case. The legal maneuvers mark the latest attempts to halt the new regulation under Title IX. The new rules spell out that Title IX bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The lawsuits argue... Читать дальше...

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday may be setting up what could be a protracted legal fight over its future in the United States.