Business

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 …

Published this week to Cracker Barrel’s website: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at Cracker Barrel We have a responsibility to live up to our mission of Pleasing People each day, ensuring that every member of our team and every guest feels at home, feels cared for like family, and feels like they belong. Also guiding our way is the sense …

Newsweek reports: A brewery in California announced on Monday that it was cutting ties with a professional fisherman after he expressed support for a new anti-gay law in Uganda. “We learned of Mr Dyer’s view this morning and immediately severed our relationship with him. We could not disagree more strenuously with Mr. Dyer’s view and the abomination that is going …

CNET reports: If you’re tired of your iPhone keyboard always autocorrecting your swear words, you’re going to love this new feature. At WWDC 2023 on Monday, Apple announced iOS 17 and unveiled an improved and more sophisticated autocorrect feature — which makes cussing so much easier. “And in those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, …

Reuters reports: Apple Inc unveiled an augmented-reality headset called the Apple Vision Pro at its annual software developer conference on Monday, its first big move into a new product category since the introduction of the Apple Watch nine years ago. The headset launch will see Apple test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers …

Bloomberg News reports: Consulting firm Deloitte LLC will donate $1 million to The Trevor Project, a LGBTQ mental-health nonprofit that supports youth in the community in times of crisis. Financed by the Deloitte Health Equity Institute, the donation will be distributed over the course of two years and will help fund the Trevor Project’s crisis counseling services, a web-based chat …

The New York Times reports: Elon Musk recently said Twitter’s advertising business was on the upswing. “Almost all advertisers have come back,” he asserted, adding that the social media company could soon become profitable. But Twitter’s U.S. advertising revenue for the five weeks from April 1 to the first week of May was $88 million, down 59 percent from a …

From the Christian Post: Chick-fil-A signals pride in its policy. It created a slogan to go along with it. It is not bland boilerplate hidden deep within the website’s policy section. Rather, it reads like a press release. And, it uses the words “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” which is the same exact language used by progressives. Progressivism is never inclusive …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A Tampa lawyer and “Jeopardy!” champion will join Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney World oversight board, which is at the center of his nationally watched battle with the world-famous attraction. DeSantis named Charbel Barakat to the five-member Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s Board of Supervisors on Thursday. He will replace Michael Sasso, an Orlando attorney who resigned …

Bloomberg News reports: Amazon.com Inc. has been talking with wireless carriers about offering low-cost or possibly free nationwide mobile phone service to Prime subscribers, according to people familiar with the situation. The company is negotiating with Verizon Communications Inc., T-Mobile US Inc. and Dish Network Corp. to get the lowest possible wholesale prices. That would let it offer Prime members …

Courthouse News reports: A Florida judge has recused himself from the federal case brought by Disney against Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and a state oversight board. In court documents filed on Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker denied DeSantis’ motion to disqualify, finding that his prior comments in another state retaliation case does not show he is predisposed to …

Religion News Service reports: A group of former followers of Dave Ramsey has sued the Christian finance guru and radio host, along with his company and a marketing firm, for endorsing a failed timeshare exit company that allegedly defrauded customers out of millions. Seventeen former Ramsey listeners filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington alleging …

Reuters reports: Twitter’s head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told Reuters on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company, which has faced criticism for lax protections against harmful content since billionaire Elon Musk acquired it in October. Irwin, who joined Twitter in June 2022, took over as head of the trust and safety team in November …

Bloomberg News reports: A top Walmart Inc. executive said the retailer remains committed to its Pride Month offerings, even after competitor Target Corp. became embroiled in a controversy over similar products. “We have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups,” Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Latriece Watkins told reporters Wednesday. “In this particular case, we haven’t changed anything …