Business

The Daily Beast reports: Jeff Bezos saw a vacuum—and rocketed in. The billionaire founder of the Blue Origin space company has worked to charm Donald Trump in recent months, and even invited the president to his lavish, star-studded wedding in Venice, White House officials told The Wall Street Journal. The president apparently isn’t planning to attend, due to scheduling conflicts. …

CNN reports: Cybercriminals have breached insurance giant Aflac, potentially stealing Social Security numbers, insurance claims and health information, the company said Friday, the latest in a spree of hacks against the insurance industry. With billions of dollars in annual revenue and tens of millions of customers, Aflac is the biggest victim yet in the ongoing digital assault on US insurance …

Nexstar reports: About 100,000 Crayan brand mattresses, which were sold exclusively on Amazon, are being recalled over concerns they don’t meet federal safety flammability requirements and could catch fire. The recalled mattresses were sold online at Amazon.com from July 2022 to June 2024, for $100-$220. Consumers should stop using the mattresses immediately, says the retailer, Foshanshi Liyue Jiaju Youxian Gongsi, …

Block Club Chicago reports: Sidetrack, the city’s largest and arguably most popular gay bar, has applied to open a location at O’Hare Airport — a move that, if approved, would make it the first gay bar inside an airport in the United States. The proposal was submitted earlier this month by restaurateur Germán González, managing partner of Somos Hospitality Group …

Semafor reports: Want a MAGA rice cooker or a snow globe with a small version of President Donald Trump raising his fist? Major home-goods companies are there for you, with at least three firms developing special collections that feature Trump. One of the companies, Instant Pot Brands, noted that “a portion of the profits from” its forthcoming collection “will be …

The Associated Press reports: More than 1.15 million power banks are under recall across the U.S. after some fires and explosions were reported by consumers. Electronics maker Anker Innovations is recalling certain “PowerCore 10000” power banks because the lithium-ion battery inside can overheat. An overheating battery can lead to “melting of plastic components, smoke, and fire hazards,” Anker wrote. The …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Some of the biggest merchants are exploring how to issue or use stablecoins, potentially shifting the high volumes of cash and card transactions that they handle outside the traditional financial system and saving them billions of dollars in fees. Walmart, Amazon, and other multinational giants have recently explored whether to issue their own stablecoins in …

The Associated Press reports: Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Thursday she is investigating whether pharmaceutical giant CVS improperly used customers’ personal information to send out text messages lobbying against a proposed state law. Murrill also said she plans to issue a cease-and-desist letter to the company to stop the messages. As lawmakers debated a now-failed bill on Wednesday they …

CBS News reports: Silver Airways abruptly scuttled all of the Florida regional carrier’s flights and told passengers booked on flights scheduled to depart Wednesday not to go to the airport. The bankrupt carrier said in an Instagram post that it would no longer serve customers as of June 11. Silver Airways also said it struck an agreement to sell it …

Ars Technica reports: Amid all the Gemini hype at Google I/O last month, the company also turned one of its experiments into a (kind of) real product. Project Starline was reborn as Google Beam, a 3D video conferencing system that makes it look like you’re in the same room with the other party. Google said HP would reveal the first …

NPR reports: Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia on Monday filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of personal genetic data by 23andMe without customer consent. The lawsuit comes as a biotechnology company seeks the court’s approval to buy the struggling firm. Biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits and medical records are too sensitive to …

CBNC reports: The CEOs of Uber, Dell, Goldman Sachs and more are expected to announce Monday that they will collectively invest billions of dollars into so-called “Trump accounts” for the children of their employees, a White House spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. The executive are slated to make the commitments during President Donald Trump’s roundtable event touting the eponymous pilot program, …

NewsNation reports: About 1.7 million window air conditioning units have been recalled in the U.S. after 17 customers reported getting sick from fungal growth in the appliance. The Midea U and U+ window air conditioners may fail to drain quickly, causing mold growth that “poses risks of respiratory issues or other infections to some consumers,” according to the U.S. Consumer …

Axios reports: Coign, a self-described credit card “built for conservatives,” claims to have launched the first fully AI-generated national television commercial, at least in the financial services industry. Hyper-realistic AI videos flooded the internet after the release of Google’s Veo 3 tool last month. Now, signs are emerging of a potentially massive disruption to the $250 billion TV advertising industry. …

Courthouse News reports: A Los Angeles judge rejected on Wednesday a motion by Starbucks to reduce or invalidate a $50 million jury award leveled at the coffee giant earlier this year over a spilled cup of tea that left a Postmates driver’s penis scalded and permanently disfigured. In 2020, then-25-year-old Garcia was picking up an order of three venti-sized “medicine …

USA Today reports: Just eight years after starting in a Los Angeles parking lot, Dave’s Hot Chicken has been acquired by private equity firm Roark Capital in a deal worth approximately $1 billion to enter its “next phase of growth and innovation.” A spokesperson for Dave’s Hot Chicken confirmed the acquisition to USA TODAY via email on Wednesday, June 4. …

CNBC reports: Macy’s cut its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday even as it beat Wall Street’s quarterly earnings expectations, as the retailer’s CEO said it will hike prices of certain items to offset tariffs. In an interview with CNBC, CEO Tony Spring said about 15 cents to 40 cents per share of the guidance cut is due to tariffs. He …

CBS News reports: President Trump said again Tuesday he’s working to take mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public, winding down 17 years of federal control over two central parts of the U.S. housing market — a move that was cheered on by Trump ally and noted Wall Street investor Bill Ackman. Ending the conservatorship of Fannie and Freddie …

CNBC reports: European sales of Tesla vehicles plunged in April, as the U.S. electric carmaker continues to face reputational damage regionally and rising competition. Tesla sold 7,261 cars in Europe in April, down 49% year-on-year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). That drop came even as overall battery electric car sales rose 34.1% annually in April. Tesla has …

CNBC reports: Set your alarm. Southwest Airlines customers have only one day to go before the company starts charging to check bags for the first time in more than half a century. Starting Wednesday, Southwest will end its blanket “two bags fly free” policy. It was a perk that was sacrosanct among customers and the airlines’ longtime executives alike, setting …