AP National Business

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is taking a series of enforcement actions to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems afflicting minority communities in three Gulf Coast states. The EPA’s actions follow a “Journey to Justice” tour by Administrator Michael Regan last fall in Mississippi, Louisiana

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers An early rally gave way to a broad slide for stocks and a surge in bond yields Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled it plans to begin raising interest rates “soon” to fight a spike in inflation that the central bank says is probably getting

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer Relatives of passengers who died in one of the fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets are asking the U.S. attorney general to help them re-examine an investigation into Boeing. Several people who lost relatives in a 2019 crash held a video meeting Wednesday with Attorney General Merrick Garland.

SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon will end its “Sold by Amazon” program after an investigation by Washington state’s attorney general found it was anticompetitive and violated antitrust laws. A lawsuit and a consent decree filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle Wednesday says the company engaged in unlawful price fixing and unreasonably restrained competition to

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks fell, giving up their gains from an early rally, and Treasury yields climbed Wednesday as investors weighed the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate policy update. The central bank signaled that it plans to begin raising interest rates “soon” as it moves to fight inflation.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Will mortgage rates go up? How about car loans? Credit cards? How about those nearly invisible rates on bank CDs — any chance of getting a few dollars more? With the Federal Reserve signaling Wednesday that it will begin raising its benchmark interest rate as soon

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is getting support from several business leaders on his economic agenda that has stalled in the Senate. It’s an effort to restart some momentum for his proposed nearly $2 trillion in spending and tax increases. Biden met at the White House with top executives

BERLIN (AP) — A top German security official says his agency has created a task force to investigate individuals suspected of using Telegram to commit crimes, amid growing concerns that the messaging app is becoming a “medium for radicalization.” Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office warned Wednesday that the app is being used to target politicians,

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s government says it will scrap most pandemic restrictions next week, even as neighboring Sweden has extended its own measures for another fortnight. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday that as of Feb. 1 Danes will enjoy free access to restaurants, cafes, museums and

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks gained ground in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged, but signaled that it plans to begin raising interest rates as soon as March as the central bank moves to fight inflation. The S&P 500

WESTLAKE, La. (AP) — An explosion at a southwest Louisiana chemical plant has left at least six people with minor injuries. Westlake Chemical South spokesperson Joe Andrepont says the explosion occurred at an empty ethylene dichloride storage tank shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. Five victims were taken to hospitals and one was treated at the

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says it wants to add more than 8,000 technical workers this year. The Detroit automaker is looking for software, computer, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as battery engineers, cybersecurity experts and others. GM says it’s expanding teams that develop vehicle software, engineer hydrogen fuel cells for non-automotive uses, and

By DREW COSTLEY AP Science Writer The Los Angeles City Council has approved a measure to ban new oil and gas wells and phase out existing ones. The measure would shut down oil and gas fields in the city after a decade of complaints from residents about health problems — nosebleeds, wheezing, coughing — they

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it will likely begin a series of interest-rate hikes in March. That would reverse pandemic-era low-rate policies that have fueled hiring and growth — and stock market gains — but also high inflation. Chair Jerome Powell said at a news

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Wild volatility in the stock market this week has put heightened scrutiny on the Federal Reserve’s meeting Wednesday. The Fed will signal when and how fast it plans to raise interest rates to help tame inflation that is squeezing family budgets. The Fed is expected to

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Toy company Mattel has won back the licensing rights for Disney’s princess and “Frozen” franchises. The reunion comes after Hasbro bested the rights for the “Frozen” and princess products away from Mattel in 2014. The new multiyear global deal between Disney and Mattel will allow Mattel to develop lines

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The financial technology startup that Walmart is backing will buy two financial companies as it tries to create one app where shoppers can do different financial activities from getting paid to borrowing and saving money. The venture called Hazel will purchase Even, a financial benefits

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Colorado-based aviation company wants to build a plant for next-generation supersonic passenger jets at a North Carolina airport. Government officials announced the project Wednesday as local and state boards approved hefty financial incentives for Boom Supersonic. Officials say the proposed $500 million operation at

GENEVA (AP) — A World Trade Organization arbitrator has decided that China can impose retaliatory tariffs on imports from the United States totaling up to $645 million a year, capping a decade-long dispute over U.S. duties on some Chinese goods. The dollar-value award issued Wednesday follows a decision in July 2019 from the WTO’s dispute

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The financial technology startup that Walmart is backing will buy two financial companies as it tries to create one app where shoppers can do different financial activities from getting paid to borrowing and saving money. The venture called Hazel will purchase Even, a financial benefits