Business

The Insider reports: A district board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a motion Monday during an emergency meeting to counter-sue Disney. The lawsuit will be filed in central Florida, Martin Garcia, chairman of the board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, said. It was not immediately clear from Monday’s meeting what the basis of the lawsuit would …

The Associated Press reports: Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank early Monday and sold all of its deposits and most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase Bank in a bid to head off further banking turmoil in the U.S. San Francisco-based First Republic is the third midsize bank to fail in two months. It is the second-biggest bank failure in …

The Insider reports: A new invite-only Twitter alternative just lured in Twitter celebs Dril and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and people are scrambling to follow them. The Jack Dorsey [photo] backed platform, Bluesky, is a Twitter clone with a very similar format to its established rival. Bluesky has been available on Apple’s app store since February but recently added an Android …

Deadline reports: The federal judge presiding over Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has recused himself, citing a conflict of interest. The lawsuit, filed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. on Wednesday, accuses DeSantis of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” That would violate the company’s First Amendment rights, the suit contends. Friday’s order by U.S. Magistrate …

The Guardian reports: A California judge has tentatively ordered Elon Musk to be interviewed under oath about whether he made certain statements regarding the capabilities of Tesla’s Autopilot features after the company questioned the authenticity of the remarks, claiming Musk is a “target for deep fakes”. The ruling came in a lawsuit against Tesla, filed by the family of Walter …

Axios reports: Bed Bath & Beyond coupons that never expire finally expired. Tuesday was the last day to use the iconic blue coupons — which households across the country have stowed away for years — before they are worthless. The company’s gift cards won’t have value for much longer, either. But consumers may still be able to snag deals during …

The New York Times reports: The fight between Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Walt Disney Company is headed to court. On Wednesday, a board appointed by Mr. DeSantis to oversee government services at Disney World voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney vast control over expansion at the 25,000-acre resort complex. Within minutes, Disney sued Mr. DeSantis, …

CBS News reports: Do you like taking your dog to restaurants? Go ahead, it’s fine, according to the Food and Drug Administration which now says it’s safe to bring dogs to restaurants with outdoor seating. The new guidance came in an update to the 2022 FDA food code. The FDA stated that its health rules “allow for pet dogs in …

Axios reports: As stores and restaurants attempt to go cashless, they’re installing “reverse ATMs” that dispense stored-value cards in exchange for greenbacks. More businesses are eschewing cash — a trend accelerated by the pandemic — but states and cities are passing laws banning them from doing so, in deference to people who don’t have bank accounts or credit cards. Reverse …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Anheuser-Busch InBev said it had placed on leave two executives who oversaw a Bud Light collaboration with a transgender activist. Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, had come under fire from some customers and media outlets over the company’s decision to send a personalized Bud Light can to transgender activist and influencer Dylan …

Los Angeles’ ABC affiliate reports: An intense fire broke out at Disneyland in Anaheim on Saturday night as packed crowds were enjoying a show at the theme park. The fire ignited on Tom Sawyer Island during the Fantasmic! nighttime water and fireworks show held on the Rivers of America. Citizen video captured by parkgoers shows massive flames fully engulfing Maleficent’s …

CNBC reports: Bed Bath & Beyond on Sunday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a series of last-ditch efforts to raise enough equity to keep the business alive failed at the eleventh hour. The struggling home goods retailer has been warning of a potential bankruptcy since early January, when it issued a “going concern” notice that it may not …

The Huffington Post reports: Twitter billionaire owner Elon Musk faced mockery after he boasted about paying from his own pocket for NBA superstar LeBron James, horror author Stephen King and “Star Trek” legend William Shatner to be verified on his social media platform. James, King and Shatner had all publicly rejected the idea of signing up for the website’s new …

Winston-Salem’s Fox affiliate reports: If Walt Disney World needs a place to land after a fallout with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, state Sen. Michael Garrett has an idea: come on up to North Carolina. Garrett, a Democrat from Guilford County, has filed Senate Bill 594, the “Mickey’s Freedom Restoration Act,” to give Disney a place to move the Magic Kingdom, …

The Associated Press reports: The new chair of Disney World’s revamped governing body said Wednesday that new supervisors had good intentions about collaborating with the company after they were appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, so it was “shameful” when Disney signed agreements with their predecessors stripping them of most of their authority. Among the changes board members made Wednesday …

The Verge reports: Elon Musk is threatening to take legal action against Microsoft over claims that the company “trained illegally using Twitter data.” The billionaire’s statement came in response to a tweet noting that Microsoft’s advertising platform announced it would stop supporting Twitter, reportedly due to Twitter’s changes requiring payment to access its API. Musk’s threat is vague but appears …

From the Facebook page of Grills Seafood: Dear Customers and Employees of Grills, Please forgive me for not responding sooner to these allegations (post below) as I was unavailable till now to do so. This was posted on a personal FB account that has since been deleted but continues to be recycled by outlets with differing views than ours. I …

“It remains to be seen as to whether this was financially smart. Currently, it is not. We just revalued the company at less than half of the acquisition price. My timing was terrible for when the offer was made because it was right before advertising plummeted. “So I must be a real genius here. My timing is amazing since I …

The New York Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to announce plans by the state Legislature to void a controversial move by Disney that effectively stripped the governor’s newly installed oversight board of authority, sources said. Officials called Disney’s tactic an illegal “poison pill” intended to undercut state supervision of its special tax district — and argued that …

Axios reports: In a worldwide push called “Sunrise 2027,” the retail industry is transitioning from the standard 12-digit barcode — that square of vertical lines that’s printed on a package and makes it go “beep” at the checkout scanner — to a two-dimensional web-enabled version. The effort is being orchestrated by GS1 US, the nonprofit standards organization that oversees the …