Business

The Wall Street Journal reports: Joseph Blount, CEO of Colonial Pipeline Co., told The Wall Street Journal that he authorized the ransom payment of $4.4 million because executives were unsure how badly the cyberattack had breached its systems or how long it would take to bring the pipeline back. “I know that’s a highly controversial decision,” Mr. Blount said in …

Car & Driver reports: We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it for a while: there are no full self-driving cars available for sale today. Completely autonomous vehicles remain a technology from the future. Auto companies that try to promote their driver-assistance features as “full self driving” could run afoul of regulators. See also: Tesla. The California Department of …

Law & Crime reports: The Federal Trade Commission accused disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli on Tuesday of having destroyed evidence relevant to a lawsuit that could lead to his lifetime ban from the industry. Regulators claim that the convicted fraudster invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked about a phone he used to conduct business from prison. “It …

ABC News reports: An unruly passenger on a Delta flight in December is now facing the largest proposed fine from the Federal Aviation Administration this year — a whopping $52,500. According to the agency, the passenger tried to open the cockpit door on the flight from Honolulu to Seattle before striking a flight attendant in the face and pushing them …

The Verge reports: Apple Music is getting two big updates next month: support for high-quality, lossless audio and for spatial audio through Dolby Atmos. But even more surprising, the features will be available for free to all subscribers, including those on family and student plans. The company says it’ll have 75 million lossless audio songs in its catalog by the …

The Washington Post reports: AT&T announced Monday that it plans to combine its entertainment and media company with Discovery Inc. in a deal that would create a TV, film and streaming behemoth featuring more than a half dozen top cable networks plus Warner Bros. studio and other properties. If approved by federal regulators, the deal would create a top new …

ABC News reports: “Target will continue to require all of our coronavirus safety measures in all stores, including masks and social distancing, while we review guidance from the CDC and evaluate the guidance we offer our team and guests,” Target said. CVS is also keeping its mask mandate as it reviews the CDC’s policy. Home Depot will be keeping their …

CNBC reports: Walmart said Friday that customers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will not need to wear a mask in its stores, unless one is required by state or local laws. In a memo sent to employees, the country’s largest retailer and employer said the change in its mask policy takes effect immediately at Walmart stores and its membership …

CNN reports: Delta Air Lines is requiring new employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine, making it one of the largest US companies to issue a mandate. “Any person joining Delta in the future we will mandate to get vaccinated before they can sign up with the company,” CEO Ed Bastian told CNN’s Richard Quest in an exclusive interview. Bastian said …

The Associated Press reports: People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer be required to wear face masks at Trader Joe’s, the grocery store chain announced Friday. Trader Joe’s became the first major retailer to update its guidance to allow vaccinated customers to go unmasked in their stores. The grocery store chain said on its website it encourages …

Axios reports: Some retailers around the country will keep requiring masks to be worn in stores, despite new coronavirus guidelines from the CDC relaxing the use of masks for fully vaccinated people. Target, Starbucks, Macy’s, Kroger, Publix and Home Depot are among those that are still requiring masks to be worn and have not updated their virus policies. Other retailers …

Bloomberg News reports: Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting reports earlier this week that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline, according to two people familiar with the transaction. The company paid the hefty ransom in untraceable cryptocurrency within hours after …

The Washington Post reports: Panic-buying has emptied 28 percent of North Carolina’s fuel stations and is exacerbating gasoline shortages across the Southeast, underscoring the real-world implications of a cyberattack that forced Colonial Pipeline offline last week. More than 17 percent of the stations in Georgia and Virginia were dry Wednesday, according to GasBuddy, and states as far as West Virginia …

The New York Post reports: Macy’s advanced its plan to build a giant office tower atop its Herald Square flagship store on Monday, announcing that it would spend $235 million to upgrade transit infrastructure at the site and to create other public amenities. Macy’s, Inc., CEO Jeff Gennette said, “We are doubling down on our commitment to New York by …

The Points Guy reports: U.S. airline customers are sitting on more than 20 million expiring airline vouchers and flight credits worth more than a combined $10 billion. Now, two U.S. senators are demanding that airlines waive those expiration dates for all credits issued during the pandemic. Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) co-signed a letter to each of …

Axios reports: Elon Musk marked his “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut by making a series of self-deprecating jokes and addressing controversy he’s attracted over the years over his behavior and Twitter posts. “To anyone I’ve offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship,” the SpaceX owner and Tesla …

The New York Times reports: A cyberattack forced the shutdown of one of the largest pipelines in the United States, in what appeared to be a significant attempt to disrupt vulnerable energy infrastructure. The pipeline carries refined gasoline and jet fuel up the East Coast from Texas to New York. The operator of the system, Colonial Pipeline, said in a …

The Points Guy reports: The world’s third largest cruise company is prepared to pull its ships from Florida in the coming months if it has to comply with the state’s new law against vaccine mandates. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and CEO Frank Del Rio on Thursday suggested the company’s three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent …

The Disney Parks Blog reports: Just in time for Pride Month 2021, I’m delighted to announce that fans around the world can showcase their LGBTQ+ pride with all-new bespoke products featuring Disney — and for the first time ever – our other iconic brands as well! From apparel to accessories to pins and plush and so much more, there are …

The Texas Tribune reports: With less than a month left in the legislative session — and Texas Republicans split on which package of proposals might cross the finish line — Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Unilever, Patagonia and two dozen other companies are urging state lawmakers not to pass new restrictions on voting. In the biggest pushback so far by business against the …