National Business - The Morning Sun

FILE - Foundation Food Group's plant is viewed Jan. 29, 2021, in Gainesville, Ga. A deadly chemical leak that killed six workers at the Georgia poultry plant in 2021 resulted from a poorly designed freezer that spilled deadly liquid nitrogen as well as a failure by the plant's owner to install safety equipment and properly train employees for emergencies, a federal agency concluded in a report released Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (Scott Rogers/The Times via AP, File)

US agency concludes chemical leak that killed 6 Georgia poultry workers was `completely preventable'

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A federal agency says a chemical leak that killed six workers at a Georgia poultry plant in 2021 could have been prevented. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concluded the … more

By RUSS BYNUM | 12/14/23

FILE - Winemaker Mike Grgich sips a glass of his Cabernet Sauvignon wine at the Grgich Hills Estate winery in Rutherford, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2008. Grgich, a celebrated winemaker who helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier wine-making regions, has died. He was 100. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Miljenko 'Mike' Grgich, an immigrant who put Napa Valley on the world's wine map, dies at 100

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Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a celebrated winemaker who helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier wine-making regions, has died. He was 100. Grgich's Rutherford, California, winery, … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 12/14/23

FILE - A Target store is seen, Nov. 17, 2021, in Philadelphia. Three major retailers — Amazon, Target and Walmart — say they're suspending sales of water bead products marketed to young children amid growing safety concerns. Water beads are small, colorful balls made of superabsorbent polymers. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Amazon, Target and more will stop selling water beads marketed to kids due to rising safety concerns

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Three major U.S. retailers — Amazon, Target and Walmart — say they’re suspending sales of water-bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns. Water beads are small, … more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and MELISSA PEREZ WINDER | 12/14/23

FILE - New Jersey state Senator Vince Polistina with Atlantic City casino workers protesting near the state capitol in Trenton N.J. in support of legislation that would ban smoking in Atlantic City's casinos, Dec. 9, 2021. State Sen. Vince Polistina said on Dec. 14, 2023, that legislation lacks enough support to become law, and said he will write a new bill incorporating proposals form the casino industry, including enclosed smoking rooms. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)

Fuming over setback to casino smoking ban, workers light up in New Jersey Statehouse meeting

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Workers angry that a proposed smoking ban in Atlantic City's casinos seems to be going nowhere protested by lighting up during a state government hearing Thursday in Trenton. Seven members of a union … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 12/14/23

FILE - Spike Lee accepts the award for best adapted screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman" at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. A pair of rare Nike sneakers, similar to those worn by Spike Lee at the Academy Awards, were donated to a homeless shelter in Portland, Ore., and are on auction. The Oregonian reports, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, that the gold Air Jordan 3s were dropped in the donation chute at the Portland Rescue Mission in the spring. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Air Jordans made for filmmaker Spike Lee are up for auction after being donated to Oregon shelter

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A pair of rare Nike sneakers donated to a homeless shelter in Portland, Oregon, are up for auction and are expected to raise as much as $20,000. Why? They were custom-made for filmmaker Spike Lee. … more

12/14/23

FILE - A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023. The Biden administration is initiating a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train derailment earlier this year in eastern Ohio. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

EPA begins formal review of vinyl chloride, toxic chemical that burned in Ohio train derailment

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The Biden administration is initiating a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic black smoke following a fiery train … more

By MATTHEW DALY | 12/14/23

FILE - Trian Partners hedge fund manager Nelson Peltz is interviewed , Oct. 10, 2017, in Cincinnati. Peltz’s investment management firm Trian Fund Management is planning to nominate the activist investor and a former chief financial officer of Disney for seats on the media and entertainment company’s board, continuing a proxy battle that began earlier this year. Trian, which owns $3 billion of common stock in The Walt Disney Co., said in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 that it believes the company has “woefully underperformed its peers and its potential.” (Kareem Elgazzar/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, file)

Trian plans to nominate Peltz, former Disney CFO Rasulo for seats on Disney's board

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Nelson Peltz’s investment management firm Trian Fund Management is planning to nominate the activist investor and a former chief financial officer of Disney for seats on the media and entertainment … more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN | 12/14/23

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about health care and prescription drug costs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Las Vegas. Hundreds of thousands of older Americans could pay less for outpatient drug treatments beginning early next year. The White House has unveiled a list of 48 drugs — some of them injectables used to treat cancer — that drugmakers will have to pay rebates to the federal government on due to raising their prices higher than the cost of inflation during this year. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Older Americans to pay less for some drug treatments as drugmakers penalized for big price jumps

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Hundreds of thousands of older Americans could pay less for outpatient drug treatments beginning early next year. The White House has unveiled a list of 48 drugs — some of them injectables used to … more

By AMANDA SEITZ | 12/14/23

A for sale sign stands outside a single-family residence on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Denver. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The average long-term US mortgage rate dips below 7% to its lowest level since early August

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The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 12/14/23

US officials block Elf Bar-maker from importing 1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes

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U.S. officials recently seized more than 1.4 million illegal e-cigarettes from the Chinese manufacturer behind Elf Bar. The company's fruity disposable products have become the top choice among … more

By MATTHEW PERRONE | 12/14/23

People walk past the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, in New York. Stocks drifted higher in afternoon trading Monday on Wall Street ahead of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

From New York to Tokyo, stock markets around the world have rallied in 2023

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It’s been a great year for stock markets around the world. Wall Street’s rally has been front and center, with the U.S. stock market the world’s largest and its clear leader in performance in … more

By STAN CHOE | 12/14/23

File - A worker counts money at a grocery store in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 21, 2023. In the past five years, Argentina's currency has lost about 90% of its value against the U.S. dollar. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Why Argentina's shock measures may be the best hope for its ailing economy

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The painful economic steps that Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, announced this week sound draconian: Slashing the currency’s value in half. Reducing aid to provincial governments. … more

By PAUL WISEMAN | 12/14/23

FILE - People stand in the lobby of Amazon offices on Feb. 14, 2019, in New York. Amazon won’t have to pay about 250 million euros ($273 million) in back taxes after European Union judges ruled in favor of the U.S. ecommerce giant, dealing a defeat to the bloc in its efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Amazon won't have to pay hundreds of millions in back taxes after winning EU case

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Amazon won’t have to pay about $273 million in back taxes after European Union judges ruled in favor of the U.S. e-commerce giant. It has dealed a defeat to the 27-nation bloc in its efforts to … more

12/14/23

Missile fired from rebel-controlled Yemen misses a container ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait

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A missile fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen missed a container ship traveling through the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait. A U.S. defense official told The Associated Press about the … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 12/14/23

2023: The year we played with artificial intelligence — and weren't sure what to do about it

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ChatGPT was the catalyst for a year that took artificial intelligence mainstream. For AI, 2023 was a long time coming. Still, the technology has a long way to go before it matches some of the world's … more

By MATT O'BRIEN | 12/14/23

FILE - View at the Bank of England, at the financial district in London, Thursday, May 11, 2023. The Bank of England is set to join its peers in the U.S. and Europe in keeping borrowing rates unchanged at its policy meeting Thursday, Dec. 14 despite mounting worries over the state of the British economy. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

Bank of England is set to hold interest rates at a 15-year high despite worries about the economy

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The Bank of England is set to join its peers in the U.S. and Europe in keeping borrowing rates unchanged despite mounting worries over the state of the British economy. The central bank on Thursday … more

By PAN PYLAS | 12/14/23

FILE - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference after meetings with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, in San Francisco. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says former President Donald Trump's policies toward China left America “more vulnerable and more isolated” in the global economy, a rare jab by her at the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Yellen made the comment in remarks prepared for delivery at a U.S.-China Business Council event Thursday night. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Janet Yellen says the Trump administration's China policies left the US more vulnerable

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says former President Donald Trump’s economic policies toward China left America “more vulnerable and more isolated” in the global economy. It's a rare jab by … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 12/14/23

File - The USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, passes a dock in Norfolk, Va., April 8, 2021. Officials said the USS Mason shot down a suspected Houthi drone flying in its direction during an incident in which two missiles fired from territory held by Yemen's Houthi rebels missed a commercial tanker loaded with jet fuel near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

How are Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea affecting global trade?

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Yemen's Houthi rebels have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, one of the world's major trade arteries. Attacks have increased since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October and Israeli-linked … more

By COURTNEY BONNELL and DAVID McHUGH | 12/14/23

A person walks near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225, left, and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Tokyo. Shares are mostly higher in Asia after a powerful rally across Wall Street sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record high as the Federal Reserve indicated that interest rate cuts are likely next year.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher after the Dow hits a record high, US dollar falls

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Shares are mostly higher in Asia after a powerful rally across Wall Street sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a record high as the Federal Reserve indicated that interest rate cuts are likely … more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH | 12/14/23

Indigenous Chief Raoni Metuktire gives an interview in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Not long after returning to Brazil in May 2024, the chief of the Kayapo severed ties with his Belgian acolyte, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Dutilleux. (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno)

Amazon rift: Five things to know about the dispute between an Indigenous chief and Belgian filmmaker

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The renowned chief from the Amazon rainforest and the Belgian filmmaker appeared to be close friends at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Far from the flashing cameras, however, their decades-long … more

By DIANE JEANTET | 12/14/23