Business

The Associated Press reports: Tesla Inc. must pay nearly $137 million to a Black former worker who said he suffered racial abuse at the electric carmaker’s San Francisco Bay Area factory. The jury in San Francisco agreed that Owen Diaz was subjected to racial harassment and a hostile work environment. Diaz alleged in a lawsuit that he was harassed and …

The Associated Press reports: Southwest Airlines on Monday became the latest U.S. airline to require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Southwest has 54,000 employees. The Dallas-based company said its workers must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 in order to remain at the airline. Employees can seek approval to skip the shots due to medical or religious reasons. …

CNN Business reports: The Facebook whistleblower who released tens of thousands of pages of internal research and documents indicating the company was aware of various problems caused by its apps, including Instagram’s potential “toxic” effect on teen girls, is set to testify at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Frances Haugen, a 37-year-old former Facebook product manager who worked on civic …

Reuters reports: The first trial of four large pharmacy chains over the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic was set to begin on Monday, as two Ohio counties seek to convince jurors the companies are responsible for flooding their communities with addictive pain pills. The Ohio counties of Lake and Trumbull allege that oversight failures at pharmacies run by Walgreens Boots Alliance …

The New York Post reports: One of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandates has taken its toll on an unintended victim — the social life of underage city partiers. Legions of young Big Apple bar and club fans who rely on fake IDs to gain entry into local hot spots are now having trouble getting past the door because they …

The Associated Press reports: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to require the shots. The airlines provide special flights, cargo hauling and other services for the government. The companies say that makes them government contractors who are …

Bloomberg News reports: Google is so successful that it’s the most searched for term on Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine, the company’s lawyer told a European Union court on Tuesday. “We have submitted evidence showing that the most common search query on Bing is by far Google,” Alfonso Lamadrid, a lawyer for the Alphabet Inc. unit, said at the EU’s …

Gothamist reports: A Department of Sanitation truck struck an outdoor dining shed, dragging it about ten feet with diners inside. The incident happened at Bar Six, located at West 13th Street and Sixth Avenue, around 6:30 p.m. during dinner service. A police spokesperson said the 30-year-old driver was backing up the vehicle, after collecting some trash on the corner of …

Mediaite reports: Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused President Joe Biden of being “biased” against his company because it wasn’t invited to a recent White House event on the production of electric vehicles. “Didn’t mention Tesla once,” Musk said, “and [he] praised GM and Ford for leading the EV revolution. Doesn’t it sound maybe a little biased or something? It’s not …

The Washington Post reports: Nearly all of United Airlines’ U.S.-based employees have been vaccinated, the company said Tuesday, touting the success of its policy after becoming the first U.S. carrier to require the vaccine among its workforce. United’s deadline for meeting the requirement was Monday, and the carrier said Tuesday it has begun the process of terminating 593 employees who …

Ars Technica reports: Amazon is rolling out (literally) a robot that can help monitor your home. Powered by Amazon Alexa and a bunch of artificial intelligence (AI) technology while patrolling about on a set of wheels, the Astro robot can handle numerous tasks, from providing a view of inside the home when you’re out to delivering a message to Mom. …

The New York Times reports: Last year, a frantic run on toilet paper that left store shelves bare across the United States became a symbol of the panic that seized Americans in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, at least one big-box retailer is trying to prevent a repeat of that frenzy as the Delta variant has driven …

The Washington Post reports: Tesla began letting owners request its “Full Self-Driving” software early Saturday, opening up for wide release its most advanced driver-assistance suite and signaling that thousands of drivers will soon be on the road with the unregulated and largely untested features. It’s the first time the company has let typical owners upgrade to the software it terms …

CNBC reports: Airlines have banned hundreds of passengers for unruly behavior since the start of the pandemic. Delta Air Lines wants carriers to share those lists. The Atlanta-based carrier has asked “other airlines to share their ‘no fly’ list to further protect airline employees across the industry — something we know is top of mind for you as well,” Kristen …

Agence France-Presse reports: France’s Naval Group said Wednesday it will send a “detailed and calculated proposal” to Australia in the coming weeks of the costs it expects Canberra to pay for scrapping a massive contract to purchase French submarines. Australia in 2016 agreed to buy 12 diesel-powered submarines built by Naval Group in a deal dubbed the “contract of the …

Market Watch reports: The Justice Department is preparing to file a lawsuit challenging American Airlines Group Inc.’s partnership with JetBlue Airways Corp. on antitrust grounds, according to people familiar with the matter. The lawsuit, which could come as soon as Tuesday, is expected to argue that the recently forged alliance threatens competition and higher fares, the people said. American and …

CNBC reports: After SpaceX completed a historic, private spaceflight on Saturday, CEO Elon Musk took a pot shot at President Joe Biden who had yet to remark on the company’s and the civilian flight crew’s accomplishments. One of Musk’s 60 million followers on the social networking platform Twitter asked him, “The President of the United States has refused to even …

The Verge reports: Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Wall Street Journal that Tesla should address “basic safety issues” before the carmaker expands its so-called “full self-driving” (FSD) mode. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this month that the company was aiming for a wider release of FSD by the end of September, making a …

Reuters reports: Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who has been outspoken on antitrust issues, expressed concern to the Transportation Department on Friday that a partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways would lead to higher airfares. The airlines’ “Northeast Alliance” partnership was announced in July 2020 and approved by the Transportation Department six months later, shortly before the end of …

The Hill reports: Southwest Airlines will provide vaccinated workers with extra pay, according to a company memo sent to employees Wednesday, joining other airlines in pushing employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Dallas-based company will provide two days of bonus pay, or 13 trip segments of extra pay for flight attendants and pilots, to employees who show proof of …