CATEGORIES

US CONSUMER CONFIDENCE FALLS IN AUGUST TO LOWEST IN 6 YEARS

U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second consecutive month, sinking to the lowest levels in more than six years as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in many parts of the country heightened pessimism.

‘THE 24TH' IS A SOBERING HISTORY LESSON FOR TODAY

On Aug. 23, 1917, four months after the U.S. had entered World War I, the all-Black 3rd battalion of the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Regiment mutinied in Houston.

ALIBABA'S ANT GROUP FILES FOR IPO IN HONG KONG, SHANGHAI

Ant Group, the financial technology arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, filed for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, in what may be the largest share offering since the coronavirus pandemic began.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK IS FULFILLING ANOTHER STEVE JOBS VISION

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill.

ORDERS FOR BIG-TICKET US MANUFACTURED GOODS JUMPED 11.2%

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped 11.2% in July, the third consecutive monthly gain.

JULY SALES OF NEW HOMES SURGE 13.9%, FAR MORE THAN THOUGHT

Sales of new homes jumped again in July, rising 13.9% as the housing market continues to gain traction following a spring downturn caused by pandemic-related lockdowns.

AIRBNB: REVOLUTIONIZING TRAVEL THROUGH TECH

After a turbulent year with the coronavirus pandemic putting a halt to the world’s travel plans, rental giant Airbnb is preparing to go public. Over the past decade, the Silicon Valley startup has transformed the way we sleep and explore, and its dominance will only continue to grow.

Walmart's Online Sales Soar as Shoppers Stock Up on Supplies

Americans turned to Walmart’s online business as well as its stores for supplies and home goods as the virus surged in new regions, resulting in soaring sales for the fiscal second quarter.

Apple 1st US Company to Be Valued at $2 Trillion

Apple is the first U.S. company to boast a market value of $2 trillion, just two years after it became the first to reach $1 trillion.

Google Says Australians Could Lose Free Search Services

Google warned that the Australian government’s plan to make digital giants pay for news content threatens users’ free services in Australia and could result in their data being given to media organizations.

VIRUS PANDEMIC RESHAPING AIR TRAVEL AS CARRIERS STRUGGLE

In a bid to survive, airlines are desperately trying to convince a wary public that measures like mandatory face masks and hospital-grade air filters make sitting in a plane safer than many other indoor settings during the coronavirus pandemic.

UNIVERSITIES SCRAMBLE TO DEAL WITH VIRUS OUTBREAKS

North Carolina’s flagship university canceled in-person classes for undergraduates just a week into the fall semester Monday as college campuses around the U.S. scramble to deal with coronavirus clusters linked in some cases to student housing, off-campus parties and packed bars.

THE APP STORE: FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY AND PRIVACY

After months of tensions between Fortnite maker Epic and Apple, the Cupertino company ultimately dealt its killer blow: removing the billion-dollar game from the App Store, with Google following suit hours later.

TARGET SALES SURGE AS AMERICANS LEAN ON BIG BOX STORES

Target reported recorded-setting sales growth online and at established stores over the past three months, more evidence that big-box retailers have become essential points of supply during the pandemic.

WITH TRAVEL LIMITED, HOLLYWOOD LOOKS TO ‘GAME CHANGER' TECH

New LED video wall technology used in making last year’s “The Lion King” and “The Mandalorian” series could become more widespread as Hollywood production ramps back up during the pandemic.

MANY STEPS NEEDED FOR ACCURATE COVID-19 TEST RESULTS

A widely used coronavirus test is under scrutiny this week after federal health officials warned that it could deliver inaccurate results if laboratory technicians don’t follow the latest updates from the manufacturer.

JUDGE OKS $60M SETTLEMENT OVER TESLA BUYOUT OF SOLARCITY

A Delaware judge has approved a $60 million settlement in a shareholder lawsuit challenging electric car maker Tesla Inc.’s $2 billion acquisition of solar-panel installer SolarCity in 2016.

FOR PANDEMIC JOBLESS, THE ONLY REAL CERTAINTY IS UNCERTAINTY

For three decades, Kelly Flint flourished as a corporate travel agent, sending everyone from business titans to oil riggers around the planet. Then came the worst pandemic in a century, leaving her jobless and marooned in an uncertain economy.

TESLA AND APPLE BOOSTS TURBOCHARGED STOCK WITH PLAN FOR SPLIT

Tesla will split its stock for the first time in its history so more investors can afford to buy a stake in the electric car pioneer following a meteoric rise in its market value.

HUAWEI: SMARTPHONE CHIPS RUNNING OUT UNDER US SANCTIONS

Chinese tech giant Huawei is running out of processor chips to make smartphones due to U.S. sanctions and will be forced to stop production of its own most advanced chips, a company executive says, in a sign of growing damage to Huawei’s business from American pressure.

BACK TO SCHOOL: RETURNING TO THE CLASSROOM SAFELY

Five months on from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and policymakers and public health officials have decided it’s time to return to the classroom.

WHAT DO THE KIDS SAY? K-12 STUDENTS SOUND OFF ON SCHOOL

Parents have weighed in on reopening schools. Teachers have weighed in. Public health experts, too, along with cities, states and President Donald Trump.

MTA ASKS APPLE'S HELP TO SOLVE iPHONE MASK ISSUES

New York’s mass transit agency wants Apple to come up with a better way for iPhone users to unlock their phones without taking off their masks, as it seeks to guard against the spread of the coronavirus in buses and subways.

FEDERAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS KEY WAYS TO PREVENT SCHOOL ATTACKS

School officials nationwide should improve mental health resources, monitor student social media accounts and improve physical security measures, according to a Justice Department report on school safety released this week.

A SUPERB RYLANCE LIFTS UP LANGUOROUS ‘BARBARIANS'

Watching Mark Rylance play a man of basic decency getting swallowed up by an evil world — and a sadistic Johnny Depp — in “Waiting for the Barbarians,” I absent-mindedly jotted down in my notes: “Nobody does basic decency like Mark Rylance.”

APPEALS COURT TOSSES ANTITRUST RULING AGAINST QUALCOMM

A federal appeals court has overturned an antitrust ruling against Qualcomm, dismissing arguments that it unlawfully squeezed out cellphone chip rivals and charged excessive royalties to manufacturers such as Apple.

FAA SPELLS OUT DESIGN CHANGES NEEDED IN GROUNDED BOEING JET

Federal regulators said they will require several design changes to the Boeing 737 Max to fix safety issues that arose in two deadly crashes and led to the worldwide grounding of the plane.

FLORIDA TEEN ARRESTED AS MASTERMIND OF TWITTER HACK

A Florida teen was identified last weekend as the mastermind of a scheme earlier this month that commandeered Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls and scammed people around the globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two other men were also charged in the case.

INSIDE BIG TECH: PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN WITH ‘HOT' EMAIL

The House Judiciary chairman was closing in on his Perry Mason moment with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Fortified with “hot” internal company documents, Rep. Jerrold Nadler was building his case at a hearing that seemed almost like a trial for Facebook and three other tech giants over alleged anti-competitive tactics.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL: TEACHERS WANT TO IMPROVE BUT TRAINING VARIES

After a rocky transition to distance learning last spring, Georgia teacher Aimee Rodriguez Webb is determined to do better this fall. She bought a dry-erase board and a special camera to display worksheets, and she set up her dining room to broadcast school lessons.