>>Thousands Left Without Jobs Following Abrupt Yellow Closure
(Nashville, TN) -- One of the biggest trucking companies in the U.S. is slamming the breaks and shutting down operations. Over 30-thousand workers at Yellow trucking are now out of a job after the Nashville-based company called it quits. The Teamsters and Yellow have been at odds after the company sued the union -- claiming it was blocking restructuring plans needed for the company to stay afloat and avoid bankruptcy. Additionally, the 100-year-old is on the hook for a 700-million-dollar emergency loan paid out by the federal government during COVID. Yellow has operations hubs throughout the U.S.
>>Losses For Home-Insurance Companies Piled Up In The First Six Months The Year
(New York, NY) -- Home insurers are insuring less and charging more as they try to find a way back to profitability after losing money the past five years. The higher-cost, lower-coverage trend extends to states across the country prone to hurricanes, floods or wildfires. Since the start of this year, double-digit rate increases have been approved in over 30 states. Oregon, is among states that had the biggest total of approved increases, ranging from 20 to 30 percent. In states like California, some insurers are not issuing new policies. Insured damage in the U.S. from natural disasters has topped 90 billion in each of the past three years.
>>Cannabis Farmers Sue State
(Portland, OR) -- Cannabis farmers have sued the State of Oregon over tests required for a certain type of mold on marijuana. Aspergillus can cause a rare respiratory disease in people with compromised immune systems, but it's not harmful to most people. Marijuana farmers argue in their lawsuit that the zero-tolerance rule established by the Oregon Health Authority will force them out of business. The lawsuit also questions why the rule is necessary in the first place.
>>Fed Reserve Exec Not Ready To "Declare Victory"
(Minneapolis, MN) -- A top official at the Federal Reserve says the economy is making good progress, but he isn't ready to "declare victory" over inflation. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation, Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari [[ kahsh-KAR-ee ]] agrees with recent comments by economists that a recession is not on the horizon as previously thought. There have been eleven rate hikes in the last 12 months and Kashkari said he didn't know how many more there would be. He stressed the Fed wants to get inflation back down to two-percent. Kashkari also referred to the current inflation rate of three-percent as a "headline" number, and that fluctuating oil, gas and food prices push the rate to four-percent.
>>Meta Plans Measures To Keep Threads Users Coming Back
(Menlo Park, CA) -- Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads-parent, Meta plans to boost retention on its new text-based social media platform. Threads enjoyed more than 100 million sign-ups in its first few days of existence. But now, less than half of those accounts are active. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company plans to institute what he calls "hooks" to keep Threads users engaged for longer periods of time, which, in theory, would encourage users to make the platform part of their daily routine. Zuckerberg says new features are coming, like a desktop version of Threads and a search bar.
>>Gas Prices Soar To 8-Month High
(Undated) -- Gas prices are surging to an eight month high. Triple-A says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded hit 3.75 a gallon Sunday. That's 17 cents more than last week. Industry experts blame the spike on production cuts and record-breaking heat. They caution that prices could jump even further if there are refinery issues or a hurricane affects oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.
>>Will Smith Calls Strikes "A Pivotal Moment" For Hollywood
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Will Smith is speaking out about Hollywood's labor stoppages. The Oscar-winning performer wrote on Instagram and Twitter the actors and writers strikes are a "pivotal moment for our profession." The one-time Fresh Prince belongs to SAG-AFTRA -- whose members walked off their jobs July 13th. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation replied to Smith by saying, "Thank you for your support Will!" The Writers Guild of America strike has been ongoing for nearly four months. Both unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers remain divided on key issues -- including calls for revised residual formulas for streaming content and protections against the use of artificial intelligence in film and TV production. The A-M-P-T-P represents networks, studios and streaming services.
>>Reports: Trump's PAC Spent $40M+ On Legal Fees This Year
(Arlington, VA) -- Former President Trump's political action committee has spent more than 40-million dollars on legal costs since the start of the year. Multiple reports indicate that number is more than double the amount Save America spent on legal fees in all of 2022. Most of the money used to defend the former president, his advisers and others comes from small-dollar donations from Trump's supporters. An official financial filing is expected to be released Monday.
