Business

CNBC reports: Donald Trump is tweeting more and it’s affecting the bond market. In fact, the president’s market-moving tweets ballooned in August as he hammered China on trade and went after the Federal Reserve on interest rates. In an attempt to quantify the impact of Trump’s tweets on the bond market, J.P. Morgan devised a “Volfefe Index” to analyze how …

Axios reports: Imports of American products to China dropped to $10.3 billion in August, down 22% from the same month last year. Chinese exports to the U.S. also plummeted to $44.4 billion in August, down 16%. China’s trade surplus with the U.S. shrunk to $31.3 billion in August, down $27 billion from a year prior. Both sides of the escalating …

CNBC reports: New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday she is launching a multi-state investigation into Facebook for possible antitrust violations. Facebook shares were down about 0.5% in Friday’s premarket, but did not seem to react to James’ announcement. Attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia will join the …

CNN reports: Five retailers have announced this week that they will start asking customers not to openly carry guns into their stores in states where open carry is legal. The moves represent a major shift in the way retailers are positioning themselves in the gun debate. Walgreens, CVS, and Wegmans announced the new policy Thursday afternoon, following announcements from Walmart …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration released a sweeping plan Thursday that could remake the U.S. housing market, starting with ending more than a decade of government control of two massive companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that back half of the nation’s mortgages. The long-awaited plan from the Treasury Department features nearly 50 proposals, including many technical changes …

The Associated Press reports: Walgreens has changed its policy to prohibit the open carrying of firearms. Walgreens announced a statement Thursday on its website, saying: “We are joining other retailers in asking our customers to no longer openly carry firearms into our stores other than authorized law enforcement officials.” On Tuesday, Walmart said it will request that customers no longer …

CNBC reports: Google’s YouTube will pay $170 million to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York attorney general that it earned millions by illegally collecting personal information from children without their parents’ consent. The settlement, announced Wednesday, was passed in a 3-2 vote by the commissioners along party lines. The two Democrats voted against it, saying …

Reuters reports: U.S. grocer Kroger has begun asking customers to stop openly carrying firearms in stores, a change in policy, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Kroger previously had followed local and state laws on the matter, she said. “Kroger is respectfully asking that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores, other than authorized law enforcement officers,” Jessica Adelman, …

The New York Times reports: In response to the shooting in its El Paso store last month that killed 22 people, Walmart said Tuesday that it would stop selling certain types of ammunition that are commonly used by hunters but can also be used in military assault rifles. The nation’s largest retailer made the announcement after weeks of discussion about …

Via press release from a corn farming advocacy group: As harvest approaches after an extremely difficult year for agriculture, many Nebraska corn farmers are outraged by the Trump administration’s lack of support for the American farmer. President Trump’s administration continues to erode the Renewable Fuel Standards by granting 31 unjustified refinery waivers, destroying demand for corn and ultimately choosing to …

USA Today reports: As Hurricane Dorian gained momentum on its path to Florida on Thursday, the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency for 26 counties, leading airlines, cruise lines and members of the hospitality community in the state to issue waivers for travelers who need to reschedule or cancel trips. The National Hurricane Center predicted that Hurricane …

The Associated Press reports: It could be lights out for tiny toiletries. Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, said Wednesday it will eliminate small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel from its hotel rooms worldwide by December 2020. They’ll be replaced with larger bottles or wall-mounted dispensers, depending on the hotel. The move follows a similar announcement …

NBC News reports: Johnson & Johnson must pay over $572 million for its role in the Oklahoma opioid epidemic that officials claim led to more than 6,000 deaths in the state over nearly two decades, a judge ruled Monday. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter claimed in court that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its pharmaceutical subsidiary, Janssen, marketed opioids to …

CNBC reports: Colonel Sanders will soon be serving vegan fried chicken to see if customers think it’s finger lickin’ good. KFC will start testing plant-based fried chicken from Beyond Meat in an Atlanta restaurant on Tuesday. The test makes the Yum Brands subsidiary the first national U.S. fast-food chain to introduce a Beyond chicken item, beating Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. The …

Mediaite reports: Patrick Byrne stepped down from online retailer Overstock.com earlier Thursday after making an explosive claim: that he had a sexual relationship with Russian spy Maria Butina, at the encouragement of the FBI. Hours after his resignation, he appeared on Fox Business for a wild interview in which he grew increasingly emotional, at times bursting into tears, which culminated …

NBC News reports: Overstock CEO Partick Byrne has resigned from the e-commerce company after making controversial comments about his role in the “deep state.” Byrne, who founded Overstock 20 years ago, has been in hot water since he responded to claims of his involvement in the federal government’s investigation into the 2016 election. The announcement sent Overstock’s shares tumbling more …

CNBC reports: U.S. manufacturer growth slowed to the lowest level in almost 10 years in August, the latest sign that the trade war may be exacerbating the economic slowdown. The U.S. manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers’ index) was 49.9 in August, down from 50.4 in July and below the neutral 50.0 threshold for the first time since September 2009, according to …

Courthouse News reports: The Seventh Circuit reinstated pet owners’ class action fraud suit against Hill’s Pet Food, ruling that the FDA did not authorize the company’s “prescription” label on high-priced pet food found to be no different than regular pet food. Holly Vanzant and Dana Land sued Hill’s Pet Nutrition under the Consumer Fraud Act after allegedly discovering that Hill’s …

Business Insider reports: Morris Coffman has been a truck driver for 35 years. And he’s been a conservative for even longer than that — his whole life. “That said,” Coffman told Business Insider, “[Trump] is absolutely a moron. His idiotic ideas will tank the economy even further.” Truckers, like Coffman, lean conservative. A Verdant Labs analysis of Federal Elections Commission …

USA Today reports: As financial markets tumbled Wednesday over concerns about international trade, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to defend his administration’s tariff war with China and to take his latest swipe at the nation’s central bank. “We are winning, big time, against China,” Trump wrote on Twitter, despite few signs of progress in negotiating a new trade agreement …