AP National Business

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Disability rights activists and advocates for Britney Spears are backing a California proposal to provide more protections for those under court-ordered conservatorships, while promoting less-restrictive alternatives. Their move came as the volatile Spears case again boiled over Wednesday in a Los Angeles County courtroom. The advocacy

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Viewers parked themselves in front of their televisions to watch football and stay out of the January chill. The NFL says an average of 30.5 million people watched their wild card games over the weekend either on television or digitally. That was up 21 percent

GENEVA (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross says hackers broke into servers holding its data and gained access to personal, confidential information on more than a half-million vulnerable people. The Geneva-based agency best known for helping war victims says the breach by unknown intruders this week affected people separated from their families

CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines lost $646 million in the last three months of 2021, and the new year doesn’t look too good either. United said Wednesday that the current spike in COVID-19 cases will hurt its results in the March quarter, and its revenue will be 20% to 25% lower than it was at

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ attorney general is suing Google, alleging the company asked radio DJs to record personal endorsements for smartphones that they hadn’t used or been provided. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton says in the lawsuit filed in Montgomery County that Google engaged in false and misleading practices in violation of the Texas

ELMORE, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont community is asking the U.S. Postal Service to renew a contract with a local store to retain an outpost where people can collect their packages and mail. New England Cable News reported Wednesday that the post office at the back of The Elmore Store serves fewer than 1,000 people

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to begin talks on removing former President Donald Trump’s import taxes on British steel and aluminum. In a joint statement Wednesday, the U.S. and U.K. said they would work toward a swift deal that ensures the viability

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden says he believes Vladimir Putin doesn’t want full blown war in Ukraine and would pay a “dear price” if he moves forward with a military incursion. Biden, speaking at a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office, also said he

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James is using a court filing to outline much of the evidence her investigators have gathered so far in her yearslong investigation of former President Donald Trump. The legal memo filed Tuesday claimed the Republican’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of its assets while seeking

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks have closed broadly lower on Wall Street and deepened the losses for major indexes this year following another choppy day of trading. The major indexes bounced between gains and losses throughout Wednesday, largely following the direction of technology stocks, which sold off in the afternoon. The sector

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Ford, US Bancorp fall; Bank of America, Tegna rise.

By JON GAMBRELL and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Some flights to and from the U.S. have been canceled even after AT&T and Verizon scaled back the rollout of high-speed wireless service that could interfere with aircraft technology that measures altitude. Airlines received warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing that many

By AYA BATRAWY and MALAK HARB Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A United Arab Emirates ambassador says Yemen’s Houthi rebels used cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in an attack on Abu Dhabi this week that killed three people and set off fires at a fuel depot and an international airport. The

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The United States and Russia are showing no sign either will relent from entrenched positions on Ukraine that have raised fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe. Speaking in Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of planning to

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks edged lower in afternoon trading on Wall Street as investors review the latest corporate earnings and prepare for higher interest rates. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, the Nasdaq fell 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%. The major indexes bounced between gains and losses throughout

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press The local water district for wealthy Southern California communities in an enclave nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains is taking a more aggressive approach to conservation as the drought drags on despite a wet winter start. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is installing a new metering system that gives