Business

The New York Post reports: Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli was slapped with a class action lawsuit Thursday from health insurers who claim he engaged in a scheme to create a pharmaceutical monopoly that allowed him to raise the price of an HIV drug by more than 4,000 percent. In the Manhattan federal court suit, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of …

Click2Houston reports: Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo released a sturdy message for those who do not comply with private businesses’ policies on wearing masks after Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded the statewide mask order. In the video, Acevedo wanted to remind residents that private entities and private businesses have a legal right to require customers to wear a mask. He said …

The Washington Post reports: Walmart plans to invest $350 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the United States over the next 10 years, a move it says will help create 750,000 jobs. The world’s largest retailer said Wednesday that it is committing to source a wide range of American-made products, including textiles, plastics, small electrical appliances, food processing, …

The BBC reports: Amazon has quickly changed its main shopping-app logo, after commentators said the recent redesign made it look like Adolf Hitler. Launched in January, the icon depicts a strip of blue tape over an Amazon “smile” logo. But some observers said it resembled a toothbrush mustache, associated with the Nazi dictator. The technology giant has now changed the …

Via press release from the Justice Department: United Airlines Inc. (United), the world’s third largest airline, has agreed to pay over $49 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail. United entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and agreed to pay $17,271,415 …

The Associated Press reports: Fry’s Electronics, the go-to chain for tech tinkerers looking for an obscure part, is closing for good. The company, perhaps even more well known for outlandish themes at some of its stores, from Aztec to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” said Wednesday in an online posting that the COVID-19 pandemic had made it impossible to continue. The …

Reuters reports: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Tuesday it was ordering immediate inspections of Boeing 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines before further flights after an engine failed on a United flight on Saturday. The engines are used on 128 older versions of the plane accounting for less than 10% of the more than 1,600 777s …

CBS News reports: Federal aviation regulators are ordering United Airlines to step up inspections of all Boeing 777s equipped with the type of engine that suffered a catastrophic failure over Denver on Saturday. United said it is temporarily removing those aircraft from service. The announcements came a day after United Airlines Flight 328 had to make an emergency landing at …

Reuters reports: New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday over its handling of worker safety issues around the Covid-19 pandemic at two warehouses, just days after the retailer filed its own lawsuit seeking to block her case. In a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, James said Amazon’s drive for faster growth …

The New York Times reports: It will not be the biggest or the best implosion ever. An auction for the rights to detonate the dynamite to begin the implosion of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., fizzled. Front-row seats to view Wednesday morning’s planned spectacle were sold on the cheap. Onlookers in cars will be charged $10 …

The Associated Press reports: Struggling luxury car brand Jaguar will be fully electric by 2025, the British company said Monday as it outlined a plan to phase out internal combustion engines. Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Motors, hopes the move will help turn around the fortunes of the 86-year-old Jaguar brand, which for many epitomizes …

The New York Daily News reports: Last call is getting a little later. Gov. Cuomo on Sunday issued an executive order pushing the statewide curfew for bars, restaurants and other establishments with liquor licenses from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. “Hospitalizations and the positivity rate continue to decline, and with the holiday surge now in our rear-view mirror, we must …

The New York Daily News reports: New York’s sports arenas and large concert venues can reopen later this month with COVID testing, capacity limits and other protocols in place, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday. The state has already granted approval for a Feb. 23 game between the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the governor said. …

CNN reports: Quaker Oats is releasing a new name and logo for its “Aunt Jemima” products, finally retiring the racist stereotype that has adorned its pancake mixes and syrups for decades. The name “Aunt Jemima,” long criticized as a racist caricature of a Black woman stemming from slavery, will be replaced with the Pearl Milling Company name and logo on …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Cuomo had a change of heart. Instead of a Valentine’s Day return, New York City restaurants can start serving customers indoors beginning Friday, two days earlier than originally planned, the governor announced Monday. Eateries in the Big Apple pleaded with Cuomo in recent days, asking him to allow them to open up dining …

Bloomberg News reports: Twitter Inc. is building a subscription product as a way to ease its dependence on advertising – a plan the social network has considered for years, and one that has taken on a heightened priority given the pandemic and pressure from activist investors to accelerate growth. At least one idea being considered is related to “tipping,” or …

Reuters reports: Freed from his daily obligations at Amazon.com Inc, Jeff Bezos is expected to turn up the heat on his space venture, Blue Origin, as it faces a pivotal year and fierce competition from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, industry sources said. Blue Origin has fallen far behind SpaceX on orbital transportation, and lost out to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance …

Reuters reports: U.S. retailers and pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS Health are preparing for a fresh round of “bot” attacks by scalpers hoping to snap up COVID-19 vaccine appointments as they did hoarding Sony PlayStation 5s and Nike sneakers. For over a decade, the retail industry has battled so-called “scalper bots,” programmed to cut digital lines and snap up limited-supply …

The Verge reports: Microsoft has announced that it will suspend all donations for the upcoming 2022 election cycle for any members of Congress, state officials, and organizations that voted to object to the certification of electors in the 2020 election or supported attempting to overturn the election. The company temporarily suspended all political contributions after the January 6th attack on …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: Bars will be closed, people will have to pass through checkpoints to get to major streets like Bourbon and Frenchmen streets and a heavy police presence will patrol New Orleans in the days leading up to Mardi Gras this year as part of a plan aimed at cracking down on crowds to prevent the spread …