AP National Business

By KEN SWEET and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Russian ruble has bounced back to almost its full value since before the West imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. That rebound comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin resorts to extreme measures to blunt the West’s penalties and inflate

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany and Austria have activated early warning plans amid concerns that Moscow could cut natural gas deliveries. Together with France, they also urged consumers to conserve energy. Poland announced steps to end all Russian oil imports by year’s end. The moves are fresh signs

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has gotten a second booster dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, and he used the occasion Wednesday to call on Congress to pass billions of dollars in additional funding to fight the pandemic. Biden’s comments came a day after federal regulators approved a fourth

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several hundred workers at a Kellogg’s plant that makes Cheez-Its won a new contract that delivers more than 15% wage increases over three years after 1,400 workers at the company’s cereal plants went on strike for nearly three months last fall. The union that represents

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching what it says is a one-stop website that will help people in the United States access COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments, along with status updates on infection rates where they live. President Joe Biden planned remarks Wednesday afternoon to announce the rollout

By JOSH BOAK and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is looking at invoking the Defense Production Act this week to increase the mining of critical minerals for the batteries used in electric vehicles. That’s according to a person familiar with White House plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss the

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several hundred workers at a Kellogg’s plant that makes Cheez-Its won a new contract that delivers more than 15% wage increases over three years after 1,400 workers at the company’s cereal plants went on strike for nearly three months last fall. The union that represents

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — What’s immune to high inflation? So far, the profits at big U.S. companies. Companies have successfully raised prices for their products, from cups of coffee to cans of paint, because buyers are lining up regardless. By passing along their cost increases, companies been able to

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, HALELUYA HADERO, and JAY REEVES BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) — After a crushing defeat last year, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is hoping for a different outcome when warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama decide whether or not to form a union in a do-over election. The National Labor Relations Board on

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to vote on on whether to end the requirement for many indoor businesses and large outdoor events to verify that customers have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The motion under consideration Wednesday would make vaccination verifications voluntary at establishments like restaurants, bars, gyms and personal

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching what it says is a one-stop website that will help people in the United States access COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments, along with status updates on infection rates where they live. President Joe Biden planned remarks Wednesday afternoon to announce the rollout

By JANIE HAR Associated Press California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations has voted to limit state compensation to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people who were in the U.S. in the 19th century, narrowly rejecting a proposal to include all Black people. Tuesday’s vote was 5-4. The group said that a compensation and

By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — The U.S. subsidiary of a Thailand-based petrochemical giant has repaid Ohio’s private economic development office $20 million after it failed to make an investment decision in 2020 on a proposed petrochemical plant in the state. Spokespersons for PTT Global Chemical America and JobsOhio insisted this week the

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — There are now more Mexican gray wolves roaming the southwestern U.S. than at any time since the federal government started reintroducing the endangered species of predators. Results of the latest annual Mexican gray wolf survey show there are at least 196 in the wild in

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday following four straight days of gains for major U.S. indexes. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4% and the Nasdaq fell 0.8%. Technology stocks were among the biggest weights on the

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Waymo’s self-driving ride-hailing service is branching out to San Francisco. The Alphabet, Inc., autonomous vehicle unit said Wednesday it has started carrying employees in electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs without human backup drivers. Previously the company had been testing the vehicles with a safety driver behind the wheel just in case. Waymo

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The CVS drug store company and pharmaceutical companies will pay Florida a combined $860 million as part of the settlement of an opioid epidemic case. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said Wednesday that CVS Health Corp. and CVS Pharmacy Inc. will pay the state $484

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s foreign minister has accused Ukraine’s leadership of attempting to interfere in the upcoming Hungarian election. It was a charge later denied by his Ukrainian counterpart in an episode that put further strain on relations between the two countries. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto claimed Wednesday

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer For decades, the free flow of trade across much of the world allowed the richest nations to enjoy easy access to low-priced goods and supplies. It meant solid economies, stable markets and, especially in the United States and Europe, long-lasting prosperity. And for households and businesses, it meant an