Business

CNBC reports: Amazon said Friday it plans to acquire Whole Foods Market for $42 a share, in a deal valued at $13.7 billion. Whole Foods’ John Mackey will remain CEO of the grocery store chain after the deal closes, and the store will continue to operate under the Whole Foods brand. Amazon’s offer represents a 27 percent premium to Whole …

The Associated Press reports: A company that owns buildings with Donald Trump and the family of Jared Kushner is a finalist for a $1.7 billion contract to build the FBI’s new headquarters. Vornado Realty Trust is one of three finalists to build a replacement for the bureau’s current headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., the massive J. Edgar Hoover …

The Guardian reports: The reality of working in a factory making clothes for Ivanka Trump’s label has been laid bare, with employees speaking of being paid so little they cannot live with their children, anti-union intimidation and women being offered a bonus if they don’t take time off while menstruating. The Guardian has spoken to more than a dozen workers …

That this clip comes today is likely not just an ordinary corporate LGBT Pride Month celebration as Southwest is headquartered in Texas, where yesterday Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session, in part, to make another attempt to pass an anti-transgender bill. From the airline’s Facebook page: “Southwest Airlines University is a place where Employees come to learn and …

As I’ve reported several times in recent months, the right wing National Center for Public Policy Research is in the habit of appearing at shareholder meetings for major corporations to ambush top executives over their diversity programs and positions on social issues. Today one of their henchmen attacked executives at Alphabet/Google and things did not go well for him. From …

The Washington Post reports: Two days after the State Department called for the release of three activists detained while investigating working conditions at factories that make shoes for Ivanka Trump, Chinese authorities appear not to be backing off the case. Reports published Wednesday morning by the Communist Party-controlled press claimed the three men, Su Heng, Li Zhao and Hua Haifeng, …

The New York Times reports: On the campaign trail, President Trump’s children rolled through dozens of small towns across the country, reveling in the adoration of the crowds. But they were less enamored of the budget-friendly hotels along the way, an assortment of run-of-the-mill offerings that were barely distinguishable from one another. That led to a business idea. On Monday, …

The Washington Post reports: Jared Kushner and his real estate partners wanted to take advantage of a federal program in 2015 that would save them millions of dollars as they built an opulent, 50-story residential tower in this city’s booming waterfront district, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. There was just one problem: The program was designed to …

The Dallas Morning News reports: The CEOs of 14 top companies, including Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, have sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott urging him not to pass discriminatory legislation. “As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families,” the …

The South China Morning Post reports: The world’s largest gay social media app is now owned by the Chinese, after a little-known Beijing tech company agreed to acquire full control of America’s Grindr for US$240 million, and fully engage in its daily operations. Beijing Kunlun Tech, a game developer owned by 38-year-old billionaire Zhou Yahui, said on Wednesday it planned …

Bloomberg reports: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said breaking up the biggest banks would be a “huge mistake,” easing concerns that the Trump administration plans a major revamp of Wall Street. “We do not support a separation of banks and investment banks,” Mnuchin said Thursday at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, just weeks after President Donald Trump said his administration was …

Lexington’s NBC affiliate reports: The Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled a Lexington business was within its rights when it refused to print shirts for Lexington’s Gay Pride Festival. The owner of Hands on Originals argued that he refused to print the shirts for the 2012 festival because it was against his religious beliefs. Later, the Human Rights Commission ruled …

Consumerist reports: In response to an unfair competition lawsuit filed against President Trump by a D.C. restaurant claiming that it’s lost business to a Trump-operated building within walking distance to the White House, the President’s legal team says that not only are the claims without merit, but that Trump is immune from this sort of legal action. The owners of …

Salon reports: The real estate development firm partly managed by the sister of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner has issued an apology over a weekend event in Beijing in which Kushner’s name was used to attract wealthy Chinese to a cash-for-visa scheme commonly used by investment-hungry U.S. real estate developers. Kushner Companies “apologizes if that mention of [Kushner] was …

World Net Daily is ever so pissed: Despite the drastic financial blowback Target Corporation has been weathering since announcing its plan last year to allow men to enter women’s bathroom facilities, the retail giant is continuing full-speed ahead in its pursuit of LGBT social activism, all in the name of “inclusivity.” For the second year, Target is using a #TakePride …

The Los Angeles Times reports: United Airlines has settled with Dr. David Dao over the injuries he received when dragged off a United flight this month, Dao’s attorneys announced Thursday. Under the terms reached by the airline and Dao, the amount of the settlement will remain confidential, according to the lawyers. Dao’s attorneys have said he suffered a broken nose …

CNBC reports: United Continental CEO Oscar Munoz said Tuesday that no one will be fired for the airline’s recent debacle involving a passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight. “The buck stops here. And I’m sure there was lots of conjecture about me personally,” the apologetic CEO said on the company’s earnings call Tuesday. “Again, it was a system failure …

CNN Money reports: President Trump says he wants to keep out people who threaten the security of the United States. But his policies are discouraging tourists and threatening the American travel business, experts say. One study forecasts a 10.6 million decline in visitors this year and next. The drop — nearly 7% of expected travelers — will cost the U.S. …

The Morning Consult reports: People are so mad at United Airlines that more than 40 percent of those who have heard about the airline recently also say they would pay more money and endure a layover to avoid flying with the company. Public outrage started after a video emerged showing police dragging a passenger off a flight Sunday to make …

The Read Deal reports: A Miami-based paint company stiffed three years ago by President Donald Trump’s Doral golf resort may finally get paid. The Third District Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the Trump National Doral Miami’s petition to throw out a lower court’s prior ruling affirming a nearly $35,000 construction lien The Paint Spot placed on the property, and …