Business

Via press release from the Teamsters: Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters walked away from the national bargaining table and officially demanded UPS exchange its last, best, and final offer no later than June 30. The Teamsters gave UPS a one-week notice on Tuesday to act responsibly and exchange a stronger economic proposal for more than 340,000 full- and part-time …

Yahoo News reports: Elon Musk takes “microdoses” of ketamine to manage depression, according to a US media report. The Twitter owner and SpaceX entrepreneur also takes full doses of the substance at parties, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ketamine, an anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, is a controlled substance in the US and can only be legally administered …

Courthouse News reports: The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Matt Haney [photo], a Democrat from San Francisco, would allow cannabis retail stores to sell prepackaged food and beverages and permit cannabis businesses with an on-site consumption license to sell food prepared at the location. The bill would also allow on-site consumption license holders to host live music and performances. The bill …

Bloomberg News reports: Starbucks Corp. plans to issue “clearer centralized guidelines” for in-store visual displays and decorations following a union’s allegations that managers banned Pride-themed decor, which the company disputes. “We have heard from our partners that you want to be creative in how our stores are represented and that you see visual creativity in stores as part of who …

Click Orlando reports: The Walt Disney Company has no basis for suing Florida’s governor in federal court over actions taken to reform the special district that governed Disney property, according to a new motion filed in the lawsuit between Gov. DeSantis and Disney. Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Meredith Ivey, the secretary for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, …

The Washington Post reports: Starbucks workers at more than 150 stores launched a week-long strike, alleging that employees at dozens of U.S. locations were restricted or barred from putting up Pride decorations, a claim the company has denied. Starbucks Workers United said the walkout involving more than 3,000 workers in at least 28 states began Friday at the company’s flagship …

NBC News reports: Bed Bath & Beyond will live on in name only after Overstock.com won an auction for the failed home goods retailer’s intellectual property and digital assets, according to court records filed early Thursday. The e-commerce discounter, which was selected as the stalking horse bidder for Bed Bath’s bankruptcy-run auction, will buy the chain’s brand name, business data …

CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday sued Amazon, alleging the nation’s dominant online retailer intentionally duped millions of consumers into signing up for its mainstay Prime program and “sabotaged” their attempts to cancel. The agency claims Amazon violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act by using so-called dark patterns, or deceptive design tactics meant …

The Daily Beast reports: Billionaire Hamish Harding is reportedly one of the five people on board the missing submarine that was meant to take tourists down to see the Titanic’s shipwreck. Harding’s stepson, Brian Szasz, confirmed the news with posts asking for “thoughts and prayers” on social media. Harding, the chairman of global sales company Action Aviation, was sharing posts …

Axios reports: In a new bid to steady his rattled company, Anheuser-Busch U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth vowed to protect the jobs of employees and those of independent wholesalers. Axios has learned that Whitworth plans to go on the road around the U.S. this summer to listen to consumers, in connection with Budweiser’s MLB sponsorship. The company’s summer ad campaign, which …

The Christian Post reports: Chick-fil-A is the latest company in the crosshairs of furious conservatives calling for a boycott of popular companies like Budweiser and Target. However, what makes their allegiance to this network of disingenuous evildoers masquerading as do-gooders is their betrayal of their loyal patrons. Chick-fil-A is a family-owned company, so they’re not beholden to the ESG standards …

Quartz reports: Modelo Especial, a Mexican beer, is now officially America’s favorite. The beverage, marketed by Constellation Brands, was the top-selling beer for May, with 8.6% of all beer sales in the US, overtaking the long-time market leader Bud Light, an Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev) brand. But if anti-LGBTQ activists think they were successful in making their point, they may be …

The Denver Post reports: A Boulder landlord succeeded in obtaining an order to evict Twitter over unpaid rent, according to recent court documents. A judge for Boulder County’s district court permitted law enforcement to evict the tenant on May 31, directing the tech giant to evacuate its suites at 3401 Bluff St. in Boulder and return them to the owner …

Via press release from the White House: Junk fees — hidden, surprise fees that companies sneak onto customer bills — are a pervasive problem in industries across the economy. That’s why the President has been calling on federal agencies, Congress, and private companies to take action to address these fees and provide consumers with honest, transparent pricing. A large body …

Variety reports: The National Music Publishers Assn., acting on behalf of 17 major music publishers, is filing a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Twitter for its failure to license and pay for the music widely available on its platform. The complaint seeks more than $250 million in damages for hundreds of thousands of noticed infringements of approximately 1,700 works. “Twitter …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure (HB 637) banning most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales, solidifying the future viability of car-selling operations across the Sunshine State. The measure, championed and authored by lobbyists representing the Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), prohibits automakers from selling vehicles directly to buyers. But as Florida Politics noted previously, lobbyists Taylor Biehl and Jeff …

Gothamist reports: New York City officials are pushing a new method for cracking down on illegal weed shops in the city: going after the landlords. More than half of the City Council’s members are sponsoring a bill that will lead to serious penalties for people who knowingly lease space to unlicensed sellers of marijuana, tobacco and other controlled substances. Last …

The New Republic reports: Starbucks has banned Pride decorations in its stores halfway through Pride Month, the company’s workers union claimed Tuesday, in a stunning cave to far-right anti-LGBTQ fury. There has been a wave of ultra-conservative pushback against companies that express support for equal rights. It started when Bud Light did a campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in …

The New York Times reports: JPMorgan Chase on Monday reached a tentative settlement with sexual abuse victims of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier, after weeks of embarrassing disclosures about the bank’s longstanding relationship with him, said the bank and lawyers for the victims. The proposed deal would settle a lawsuit filed last November in Manhattan federal court by an unidentified …

The Washington Post reports: The school bus was displaying its stop sign and flashing red warning lights, a police report said, when Tillman Mitchell, 17, stepped off one afternoon in March. Then a Tesla Model Y approached on North Carolina Highway 561. The car — allegedly in Autopilot mode — never slowed down. It struck Mitchell at 45 mph. The …