AP National Business

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California truck drivers will soon have to worry about pollution tickets along with speeding tickets. The California Air Resources Board on Thursday approved a new smog check program for heavy duty trucks. Many newer trucks have computers on board that monitor emissions and send data to

By CALEB JONES Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Monsanto says in court papers that it has agreed to plead guilty to illegally using and storing pesticides in Hawaii and will pay $12 million in fines. The company in a court filing Thursday agreed to plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes after allowing workers to go

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The CEO of General Motors says the automaker learned valuable lessons last year when it stepped in to boost emergency production of ventilators to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients. Mary Barra said the company was able to help a small West Coast ventilator maker start large-scale

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a fast-track plan for raising the debt limit. A key hurdle was cleared Thursday with the support of 14 Republicans and 50 Democrats, and that likely averts another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls it the

WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers love to hate airline fees, and several congressional Democrats say it’s time to regulate the extra charges for things like checking a bag. Several lawmakers announced Thursday that they will introduce legislation to require that airline fees are “reasonable” and relate to the airline’s cost of providing the service.  Airlines say

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s rugged Lost Coast is about to become less forbidding. A conservation group on Thursday says it plans to purchase a 5-mile stretch of the scenic coastline from a lumber company to protect it from logging and eventually open it up to the public. Save the

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: CVS, Ciena rise; GameStop, Laboratory Corp. fall.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors tapped the brakes after three days of gains. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%,and the Nasdaq fell 1.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped less than 1 point. Small-company stocks fell more than the rest of the

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has lost another costly court ruling over his coal companies’ environmental violations. A federal judge in Virginia has ruled Southern Coal Corp. and two dozen other companies must pay $2.5 million. That’s for in penalties at mine sites in Tennessee. A joint filing by the U.S.

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California truck drivers could soon have to worry about pollution tickets along with speeding tickets. The California Air Resources Board on Thursday is proposing a new smog check program for heavy duty trucks. Many newer trucks have computers on board that monitor emissions and send data

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is moving ahead with a fast-track plan for raising the debt limit. A key hurdle was cleared on Thursday with the support of 14 Republicans and 50 Democrats, and that likely averts another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Food waste is California’s next target as the state seeks to lower greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Banana peels, leftover veggies and other food scraps are among organic materials that emit methane as they decay in landfills. California wants to stop that by banning

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters, opening a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine to people as young as age 16. The U.S. and many other nations already urge adults to get a booster to pump up their immunity months after initial vaccination. In the U.S., the Pfizer

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize on Thursday, a first for the 50-year-old coffee retailer in the U.S. and the latest sign that the labor movement is stirring after decades of decline. The National Labor Relations Board

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and CAROLYN THOMPSON AP Business Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Starbucks workers have voted to unionize in Buffalo, New York over the company’s objections, pointing the way to a new labor model for the 50-year old coffee giant. The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday that workers voted 19-8 in favor of

By SYLVIE CORBET The Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Macron has vowed to work to make Europe “more powerful” as France’s turn in the European Union’s rotating six-month presidency starts Jan. 1 and overlaps with the country’s presidential election. Macron said Thrusday that France plans to use its EU tenure to promote “a

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Britain to make it easier for people to apply for asylum and harder for people to work illegally to stem risky migration efforts across the English Channel after a recent deadly sinking. Macron also accused the British government of reneging on promises over fishing licenses and of betraying French-British

By DASHA LITVINOVA and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top military officer has sternly warned Ukraine against trying to reclaim control over separatist areas by force. He said Thursday that Moscow will “suppress” any such attempt. Thursday’s statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine