>>Biden To Announce Chip Deal With Micron
(Syracuse, NY) -- The Biden administration is making a preliminary agreement with semiconductor maker Micron, another investment through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. The President will announce the six-billion-dollar deal with the Idaho-based company today in Syracuse, New York. The money will go to support two chip manufacturing hubs in New York and Idaho.
>>Trump Media Calls For Congressional Investigation
(New York, NY) -- Trump Media is calling on Congress to investigate potential illegal activity driving its share price down. The company, which owns social media platform Truth Social, suspects strong indications of unlawful manipulation of its stock. After hitting a high of 79-dollars per share on its first day of trading, the stock soon dropped to as low as 22-dollars per share. The shares rose to nearly 34-dollars in Wednesday trading.
>>Chamber Of Commerce, Business Groups Sue FTC Over Noncompete Ban
(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is suing the Federal Trade Commission over its banning of noncompete agreements. The FTC voted Tuesday to block new noncompete agreements and require employers not to enforce current noncompetes, with an exception for senior executives. Business groups argue that these agreements are actually necessary to protect their intellectual property. They accuse the FTC of regulatory overreach.
>>Meta Shares Fall In After Hours Trading
(Menlo Park, CA) -- Meta shares dropped Wednesday in after-hours trading after an underwhelming first quarter earnings report. While the report beat expectations, the company's capital expenditure outlook for the year was increased. Stock fell 15 percent after market close after rising 39 percent so far this year.
>>Google Fires an Additional 20 Employees Over Israel Protest
(Mountain View, CA) -- Google has fired another 20 employees for their involvement in protests over its dealings with Israel. The tech giant has a cloud computing contract with the Israeli military, and pro-Palestinian workers have been staging sit-ins and other forms of protest. This brings the total number of employees fired over the matter to fifty. On April 16th, Google's Sunnyvale, California, and New York City office workers held sit-ins. The company says the workers disrupted operations and damaged company property. A spokesperson for the protesters says some of those fired were bystanders who were not directly participating in the sit-ins.
>>UAW Reacts To Stellantis Layoffs
(Detroit, MI) -- United Auto Workers Union officials are criticizing automaker Stellantis for laying off around 200 workers at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan. Local 1700 President Michael Spencer confirmed the layoffs in an email and called the action "disgusting and a disservice" to union members. Stellantis has said they would be laying off additional employees in the U.S. to deal with changes in the global auto market. UAW President Shawn Fain said the union will make sure Stellantis honors their commitments and criticized CEO Carlos Tavares.
>>Middle Class Money
(Washington, DC) -- A new report can tell you if you're still earning enough to be considered middle class. Finance site SmartAsset analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center to determine the middle class salary range in all 50 states. The national middle class salary range is 49-thousand-271-dollars to 147-thousand-828-dollars. New Jersey has the most drastic difference between lower and upper class incomes. In some states like Mississippi, a middle class salary could be considered wealthy in comparison to other states.
