AP National Business

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bill advancing in Mississippi says anyone could cite religious objections to avoid a public or private employer’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. House Bill 1509 passed the Senate 36-15 Wednesday, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. One Democrat did not vote. A version of

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — A dispute over building an oil pipeline across California has intensified with the defeat of ExxonMobil’s proposal to truck oil from now-idled offshore platforms. Santa Barbara County supervisors rejected the interim trucking plan Tuesday, denying the company a crucial step in its hopes of

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press A judge has indicated he is moving forward with a plan for the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to pump at least another $1.2 billion into a nationwide settlement of lawsuits against over the toll of opioids. Legal wrangling still lies ahead for the overall bankruptcy reorganization plan. The

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site. Its aim is to bypass surveillance and censorship after Russia blocked access to its service in the country. Russia has blocked access to Facebook and has restricted Twitter in an attempt to try to restrict the flow of information about

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Employees at three more Starbucks stores in suburban Buffalo have voted to form unions. A count of ballots Wednesday showed workers at the stores narrowly approving organizing efforts. The results bring to six the number of unionized Starbucks shops and further advance organizing efforts that began

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The first licenses to sell recreational marijuana in New York will go to people who were casualties of the war on drugs. State officials said Wednesday that people with marijuana-related convictions will get dibs on the first 100 to 200 retail cannabis licenses awarded by the

NEW YORK (AP) — The Salvation Army is being accused in three lawsuits of violating federal labor law by not paying minimum wage to participants in its work-based rehabilitation programs. The lawsuits were filed Wednesday in federal courts in New York, Illinois and Georgia. They accuse the organization of working the programs’ enrollees full time

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Officials in a Georgia county are blaming a “bare minority” for a referendum in which voters defeated plans to buy land for a rocket launch pad by a margin of nearly 3-to-1. Camden County officials who spent the past decade and $10.3 million pursuing development of

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: MongoDB, XPO Logistics rise; Stitch Fix, Yext fall.

By STAN CHOE, DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks had their biggest jump since June 2020 Wednesday as a sharp drop in oil prices eased fears that inflation was about to get worse around the globe. The S&P 500 rose 2.6%. The rally broke a four-day losing

By BERNARD CONDON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A bank’s decision to loan Donald Trump’s company $100 million is the latest evidence the former president might survive fraud investigations and a business-world backlash over his efforts to stay in office after losing the 2020 election. Documents filed with New York City on Tuesday show

By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Authorities are investigating a natural gas leak at a ConocoPhillips Alaska oil drill site on Alaska’s North Slope. The company says the leak was detected last Friday. It says that it acted on Monday to relocate non-essential personnel from the area because of what was described

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Three Idaho women are suing the state in federal court over its expensive training requirement for professional hair-braiders. The Idaho Statesman reports the women, represented by the Institute for Justice, filed the lawsuit Tuesday against the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board in Boise’s U.S. District Court. Idaho is one

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is restoring California’s authority to set its own tailpipe pollution standards for cars, reversing a Trump administration policy and likely ushering in stricter emissions standards for new passenger vehicles nationwide. A waiver approved Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency allows California to set tough

By STAN CHOE, DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are jumping and oil prices are falling sharply Wednesday in the latest dizzying swings to hit Wall Street. The S&P 500 was 2.9% higher, following a four-day losing streak that pulled it 13% below its record set early

By BERNARD CONDON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A bank’s decision to loan Donald Trump’s company $100 million is the latest evidence the former president might survive fraud investigations and a business-world backlash over his efforts to stay in office after losing the 2020 election. Documents filed with New York City on Tuesday show

By RAF CASERT, KELVIN CHAN and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe faces a rough choice: is it worth a recession to choke off oil and gas money to Russia while it fights a war in Ukraine? While the U.S. and British bans on Russian oil increase the pressure on Europe, the continent’s

HOUSTON (AP) — Federal officials say Chevron Phillips Chemical Co, will pay $118 million for upgrades and compliance measures at three Texas petrochemical plants over allegations that it violated the Clean Air Act. The company will also pay a $3.4 million civil penalty under a proposed settlement announced Wednesday by the Justice Department and the