Business News

Alaska Airlines cancels flights on certain Boeing planes through Saturday for mandatory inspections

Alaska Airlines is canceling all flights on Boeing 737 Max 9 planes until Saturday while it waits for new instructions on how to inspect and fix the planes. The airline said Wednesday that could mean canceling up to 150 flights a day. Federal officials grounded Boeing Max 9s after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines jet in midflight on Friday night. Alaska and United Airlines are the only U.S. carriers affected by the grounding.

Engine maker Cummins to repair, replace 600,000 Ram trucks in $2 billion emissions cheating scandal

The Department of Justice released new details of a settlement with engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. Wednesday that include a mandatory recall of 600,000 Ram trucks, and remedying the environmental damage it caused when it illegally installed emissions control software. The engine manufacturer is accused of trying to cheat on emissions tests and will pay $1.675 billion civil penalty to settle claims, which the AP reported in December, in addition to $325 million on remedies. Officials called the settlement – which is the largest Clear Air Act settlement to date – “landmark,” and vowed to go after any automaker who tries to cheat emissions tests. Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler were also found to have previously done so.

For IRS, backlogs and identity theft problems remain, but there is ‘cautious optimism’ watchdog says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is still too slow to process amended tax returns, answer taxpayer phone calls and resolve identity theft cases, according to an independent watchdog within the agency. The organization sent a report to Congress Wednesday that says while there is “cautious optimism” for the agency, the backlog of unprocessed amended returns has quadrupled from 500,000 in 2019 to 1.9 million in October last year. And taxpayer correspondence and related cases more than doubled over the same period, from 1.9 million to 4.3 million. The report comes shortly after the IRS announced that the 2024 filing season begins on Jan. 29.

‘Obamacare’ sign-ups surge to 20 million, days before open enrollment closes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says 20 million people have enrolled for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, with still a few days left for signing up. That’s a figure President Joe Biden will likely talk about regularly on the campaign trail as the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump, vows to dismantle the Obama-era program. Sign-ups in the marketplace have spiked during the Biden administration, thanks to tax subsidies that have given millions of Americans access to low cost plans, some with zero-dollar premiums. Open enrollment for coverage in 2024 is set to close Jan. 16.

Houston Texans owner is fighting son’s claims that she’s incapacitated and needs guardian

HOUSTON (AP) — Court records show the owner of the Houston Texans is fighting efforts by one of her sons to have her declared incapacitated and have a guardian appointed for her. Robert Cary McNair Jr. filed his application for appointment of a guardian for Janice McNair in probate court in November. Attorneys for Janice McNair and her son Cal McNair, who is chairman and CEO of the Texans, say the claims she’s incapacitated are “drastic and unwarranted.” An attorney for Cary McNair did not respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. The news of infighting among the family that runs the NFL franchise comes as the Texans ready for a playoff appearance Saturday, their first since 2019.

At CES 2024, tech companies are transforming the kitchen with AI and robots that do the cooking

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest gadgets at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. And that includes new technology that’s changing the world of food and drinks. There are AI-powered appliances like air-fryers and grills, a cocktail-mixing machine that serves as your own personal bartender at home, and a robot barista whose movements are meant to mimic a human. The food tech at CES 2024 is transforming the way meals are prepped, cooked and delivered. And with artificial intelligence and chef-like robots, humans may not need to cook for themselves anymore.

For consumers shopping for an EV, new rules mean fewer models qualify for a tax credit

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. consumers looking to get a tax credit on an electric vehicle purchase will have fewer models to choose from under new rules that limit the countries where automakers can buy battery parts and minerals. Only 11 of the more than 50 EVs on sale in the U.S. are eligible for the credits so far this year. The credits, which range from $3,750 to $7,500, are aimed at boosting EV sales as the Biden administration tries to cut planet-warming emissions. Carmakers say they’re scrambling to source parts that will make their models eligible for tax credits, but those parts can’t be sourced overnight. Some experts said they expect the reduced selection of tax-credit-eligible EVs to have only a passing impact on growing consumer acceptance of EVs.

Regulators are set to decide whether to OK a new bitcoin fund. Here’s what investors need to know

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators are soon expected to decide whether to approve the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a development that could thrust the once niche and nerdy corner of the internet even further into the financial mainstream. The regulatory greenlight has been anticipated for several months and the price of bitcoin has jumped about 70% since October. A spot bitcoin ETF could open the door to many new investors who don’t want to take extra steps like having to learn what a cold wallet is or having to open an account at a crypto trading platform that come with buying actual bitcoin.

X Corp. has slashed 30% of trust and safety staff, an Australian online safety watchdog says

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s online safety watchdog says the owner of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has slashed its global trust and safety staff by 30% including an 80% reduction in the number of safety engineers since billionaire Elon Musk took over in 2022. Australia’s eSafety Commission released summaries on Thursday of answers provided by X Corp. to questions about how its policies about hateful conduct are enforced. The commission says while X has previously given estimates of the reduction in staffing, the answers were the first specific figures on where staff reductions had been made to become public. X’s responses to user reports of hateful content also had slowed since Musk took over, with thousands of previously banned accounts reinstated.

Amazon’s Twitch cuts more than 500 jobs attempting to turn expensive platform profitable

Twitch, the video game streaming platform acquired by Amazon a decade ago for close to $1 billion, is laying off more than 500 employees as the company tries to turn the tremendously expensive division profitable. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy in an email to employees said that even with cost cuts and growing more efficient, the platform “is still meaningfully larger than it needs to be given the size of our business.” Twitch was built for a generation of people raised with video games and like to watch some of the best gamers in the world as many people watch professional sports.