Business

The Verge reports: Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have asked new Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to investigate Tesla’s marketing of its advanced driver assistance system, Autopilot. The Senators are particularly concerned with how Tesla has been charging customers thousands of dollars for what it refers to as “Full Self-Driving capability,” despite the fact that buying …

Reuters reports: T-Mobile US Inc said on Wednesday an ongoing investigation into a cyberattack on its systems revealed that some personal data of about 7.8 million of its current postpaid customers were compromised. The company was made aware of the attack late last week, it said in a statement, after an online forum claimed that personal data of its users …

The Verge reports: Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin brought its fight against NASA’s Moon program to federal court, doubling down on accusations that the agency wrongly evaluated its lunar lander proposal. The complaint escalates a monthslong crusade by the company to win a chunk of lunar lander funds that was only given to its rival, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and …

The Wall Street Journal reports: U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating Tesla Inc.’s advanced driver-assistance system known as Autopilot after a series of crashes involving emergency vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a document made public Monday that it had identified 11 crashes since early 2018 in which a Tesla vehicle using the company’s driver-assistance system struck …

Michigan Live reports: A sign at a Jackson Burger King restaurant encouraging people to honk if they’re against wearing masks and getting a COVID-19 vaccination is being investigated by the corporation. The sign in front displayed a message Thursday, Aug. 5, that read, “Honk if you are against forced mask & forced jab.” “We’ve been in communication with the franchisee …

USA Today reports: Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie publicly addressed this week’s operational meltdown for the first time today, blaming the more than 1,700 flight cancellations on a variety of factors that left it short on pilots and flight attendants as August began. Bad weather at the end of July, a time when flight crews start to run out of …

CNBC reports: United Airlines will require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated against Covid by no later than Oct. 25 or risk termination, a first for major U.S. carriers that will likely ramp up pressure on rivals. Airlines including United have so far resisted vaccine mandates for all workers, instead offering incentives like extra pay or time off to …

The Washington Post reports: Apple unveiled a sweeping new set of software tools Thursday that will scan iPhones and other devices for child pornography and text messages with explicit content and report users suspected of storing illegal pictures on their phones to authorities. The aggressive plan to thwart child predators and pedophiles and prohibit them from utilizing Apple’s services for …

The New York Times reports: CNN said on Thursday that it had fired three employees who violated its coronavirus safety protocols by going to the office unvaccinated, one of the first known examples of a major American corporation’s terminating workers for ignoring a workplace vaccination mandate. CNN had said this year that employees would need to be vaccinated against the …

USA Today reports: Spirit Airlines apologized to passengers Wednesday after days of staggering flight cancellations and said cancellations should ease in the days to come as it reboots its operation. Help didn’t arrive on Thursday. The Florida-based carrier, which has blamed its operational meltdown on a series of issues, including weather, technology outages and staffing shortages, has already canceled 402 …

Cincinnati Public Radio reports: Cincinnati-based Kroger is naming former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to its board of directors. Chao was elected to serve until the board’s annual meeting next June, when she’ll stand for election by shareholders. Chao also served as the U.S. labor secretary under President George W. Bush, becoming the first woman of Asian descent to serve …

The New York Times reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to announce Tuesday morning that New York City will require proof of vaccination for people participating in indoor activities, including at restaurants, gyms and performances, his latest attempt to spur more vaccinations, according to a city official. The policy is similar to mandates issued in France and Italy last month …

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports: Hundreds of travelers in Broward County and beyond were stranded after Spirit Airlines cancelled over 250 flights nationwide. The Air Line Pilots Association said Monday morning, in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, that reports of a strike are false. And Spirit spokesman Erik Hofmeyer echoed that, blaming cancellations on weather and …

Just in via press release: The health and safety of our guests and team members have been Target’s top priority throughout the pandemic. Target will continue to recommend face coverings for unvaccinated team members and guests at all stores across the country. Effective Tuesday, based on the CDC’s updated guidance, we’ll require face coverings for our team members and strongly …

The Verge reports: The Government Accountability Office squashed Blue Origin’s protest over NASA’s decision to pick a single lunar lander contractor, the agency said Friday, also denying a similar protest from Dynetics. The GAO’s decision keeps Blue Origin’s rival, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the sole winner of NASA’s lucrative Moon lander program and hands a loss to Jeff Bezos, whose space …

The Hill reports: The Walt Disney Company is requiring its employees to get the coronavirus vaccine within 60 days. “We are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Employees who aren’t already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 …

The Daily Beast reports: A popular tourist attraction in New York City may shut down for good after a 14-year-old boy leapt to his death on Thursday—while his loved ones apparently looked on. Stephen Ross, the billionaire chairman of The Related Companies, the global real-estate firm that is behind Hudson Yards, says the development’s marquee art installation might close for …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Face coverings will once again be required indoors and aboard all Resort transportation, regardless of vaccination status, at the Walt Disney World Resort beginning on Friday, July 30. Guests ages 2 and up will also be required to wear facial coverings in the queues for attractions at the four theme parks. Masks will continue to …

The New York Times reports: Vaccinations and federal aid helped lift the U.S. economy out of its pandemic-induced hole this spring. The next test will be whether that momentum can continue as coronavirus cases rise, masks return and government help wanes. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, grew 1.6 percent in the second quarter of the year, …

The Verge reports: Apple will be requiring customers and staff at most of its more than 270 US retail stores to wear masks even if they are vaccinated, according to a new Bloomberg report, bringing back a requirement that had been removed starting in June. The change goes into effect Thursday. “After carefully reviewing the latest CDC recommendations, and analyzing …