>>Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady
(Washington, DC) -- The Federal Reserve is leaving interest rates unchanged. Wednesday's announcement came as officials have repeatedly said they want to be more confident inflation is coming down before cutting rates. The central bank's goal is to get inflation down to two-percent.
>>Tesla Fires Entire Electric Vehicle Charging Team
(New York, NY) -- Tesla is firing its entire electric vehicle charging team. Employees confirmed the layoffs in social media posts. The news raises concerns about the future of one of the largest charging networks in the United States. Tesla's "Supercharger" network has been a key selling point for its electric vehicles, as a lack of charging ports has been a large barrier to widespread EV adoption.
>>Viking Cruises IPO Is Biggest So Far In '24
(New York, NY) -- Viking Cruises has the biggest initial public offering of the year so far. The cruise operator debuted on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday and raised around one-point-five-billion dollars. Viking's offering price of 24-dollars per share puts the market value at around ten-point-three billion. Viking offers luxury cruises around the world aimed at wealthy older Americans.
>>UMG Makes Licensing Deal With TikTok
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Universal Music Group has made a new licensing agreement with TikTok. The two companies have been feuding for months over royalties paid to UMG artists on the video platform. The dispute led UMG to pull the music of Drake, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and other artists from TikTok. On Wednesday, the companies announced a new licensing agreement that would bring an end to the dispute. Under the new agreement, UMG says its global family of artists, songwriters and labels will return to TikTok.
>>Justice Department Charges "Bitcoin Jesus" With Criminal Tax Fraud
(Washington, DC) -- The Justice Department is charging the man known as "Bitcoin Jesus" with criminal tax fraud. Bitcoin investor Roger Ver gained the nickname when he got in early on the digital currency. He allegedly evaded at least 48-million in taxes, according to the indictment. It claims Ver failed to report a portion of the 131-thousand bitcoin he owned in 2014 when he renounced his U.S. citizen after moving to the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. At the time, that was over 114-million dollars. Now, it's worth more than seven-and-a-half billion.
>>Ford Recalls Over 240-Thousand Maverick Trucks
(Dearborn, MI) -- Ford is recalling over 240-thousand Maverick pickup trucks over tail lights that fail to light up. That's according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall impacts certain Maverick models that span from 2022 to this year. The vehicle's Body Control Module may 'inadvertently deactivate one or both rear tail lights." It does not impact headlights, turn signal or stop lamps.
>>Dave And Buster's To Allow Customers To Place Bets On Games
(New York, NY) -- Dave and Buster's will allow customers to bet on arcade games. Adults 18 or older who are loyalty members of the arcade will be able to place a five-dollar wagers on a Hot Shots basketball game, Skee-Ball competition or other arcade games. The new technology from the gamification software company Lucra should be available in the coming months. This comes as there's a been a major boom in sports betting across the U.S.
